Sicily History
Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History
The first major work weaving all of Sicily's historical strands into one narrative — Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Hohenstaufen, Angevins, Aragonese, up to the modern era. Beautifully written. The single best book to read before the trip.
Every stop on your trip — the Greek theatre in Syracuse, Arab-Norman architecture, Baroque towns, the temples at Agrigento — all covered in one volume.
The Sicilian Vespers
The 1282 uprising against the French Angevins, placed in full Mediterranean context. Runciman was one of the great narrative historians. Reads like a thriller.
Midnight in Sicily
"Quite simply the best book in English about Italy" — The Economist. Fourteen years in southern Italy woven into Caravaggio, Sicilian food, mafia prosecutions, and political corruption. Not conventional history but perhaps the most evocative book about Sicily in English.
Extensive sections on Caravaggio's time in Syracuse and the landscape you'll be driving through.
Caravaggio in Syracuse
You'll see The Burial of Saint Lucy (1608) in its original church — one of Caravaggio's largest works, painted while on the run from a murder charge.
Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane
NYT Book Review Editors' Choice. The definitive biography — Graham-Dixon traces Caravaggio's flight from Rome through Naples, Malta, Syracuse, and Messina. Over 80 color reproductions. Read the Syracuse chapters before visiting.
Caravaggio: The Complete Works
Every known Caravaggio painting in large-format reproduction. Coffee-table book with serious scholarship. Study the Burial of Saint Lucy before seeing it in person.
Novels Set in Sicily
Modern and contemporary fiction — the literary canon of Sicilian writing.
The Leopard
One of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Set during the 1860 Risorgimento — Prince Fabrizio watches the old aristocratic order give way. "If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change." Lampedusa was himself a Sicilian prince; this was his only novel, published posthumously.
The heat, the dust, the grandeur and decay — exactly the landscape you'll be driving through. Norwegian: "Leoparden."
The Shape of Water
The first Inspector Montalbano novel — Vigata (Porto Empedocle) and Montelusa (Agrigento). Lean, witty, vivid Sicilian atmosphere. 30+ books in the series. The TV adaptation was filmed in Ragusa, Modica, and Scicli.
Start here, then The Terra-Cotta Dog, then The Snack Thief — before visiting Ragusa/Modica/Scicli.
The Day of the Owl
The world's first mafia novel. A police captain from the north investigates a murder and encounters the wall of omertà. Short, razor-sharp, chilling. Sciascia was from Racalmuto near Agrigento. Norwegian: "Uglens dag."
The House by the Medlar Tree
The foundational novel of Italian literary realism (Verismo). A fishing family in Aci Trezza near Catania struggling against poverty. Verga is the father of Sicilian literature. Visconti filmed it as La Terra Trema (1948).
Aci Trezza is a short drive from Catania on your route.
The Florios of Sicily
Epic family saga of the real-life Florio dynasty — from 1799 Palermo through three generations of empire-building (spices, sulfur, Marsala wine, shipping). Adapted into the Disney+/Hulu series The Lions of Sicily.
The Silent Duchess
18th-century Sicily through the eyes of the deaf-mute Duchess Marianna. Three generations of the Ucria family. A feminist classic and vivid portrait of aristocratic life.
Historical Novels
Fiction set in the deep past — Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Hohenstaufen. The periods that built Sicily's layered identity.
Glorious Exploits
412 BC. Two unemployed Syracusan potters take food to starving Athenian prisoners in the quarries. In return, the prisoners recite Euripides. Gelon hatches a plan to stage Medea and The Trojan Women with POWs as actors. Narrated in an Irish voice that somehow works perfectly. Sunday Times bestseller, shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize.
Read this before visiting Syracuse. The Latomia del Paradiso quarries are the actual site. You will walk through them.
Tyrant
412–367 BC. Dionysius seizes power in Syracuse and wages brutal wars against Carthage. Manfredi is a Professor of Classical Archaeology — the military and political detail is precise. Part of an oeuvre that has sold 12 million copies.
Dionysius built the fortress on Ortygia. The "Ear of Dionysius" cave is named after him.
Chaereas and Callirhoe
The oldest surviving complete novel. A love story set in Syracuse, featuring the daughter of the general Hermocrates. Abductions, false deaths, journeys to Persia. An ancient Greek romantic adventure with Syracuse as its anchor.
A 2,000-year-old love letter to the city you are visiting.
The Eyes of Archimedes: The Siege of Syracuse
214 BC. Marcellus storms Syracuse with 40,000 soldiers and 60 warships, repelled by Archimedes' war machines. Narrated by Archimedes' slave during the last three years of the mathematician's life.
A Sultan in Palermo
1153–1154, the final year of Roger II's reign. The protagonist is al-Idrisi, the great geographer. As the king weakens, Norman barons move to destroy Arab influence. "A richly woven tapestry that merits comparison with Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy."
Dramatizes the unraveling of the multicultural golden age — Arabic scholars, Greek administrators, Norman warriors.
The Ruby in Her Navel
1149, under Roger II. Thurstan Beauchamp — part entertainments organizer, part spy — navigates the multicultural court. John Julius Norwich said it made him "feel what it was like to live, work and travel in the Sicily of that time."
The Falcon of Palermo
The life of Frederick II (1194–1250), "Stupor Mundi" — the boy-king who ran wild in Palermo's Muslim quarter, then became Holy Roman Emperor and the most intellectually brilliant ruler of the Middle Ages. Kirkus praised the "firm grasp of medieval power politics."
Siciliana
The 1282 Sicilian Vespers — the bloody uprising against the French Angevins. Aetna Vespiri, daughter of a Sicilian knight, leads a people's rebellion in a Palermo of chaotic markets, Norman architecture, and medieval violence.
I Beati Paoli
A secret society of hooded avengers operating from Palermo's catacombs to protect the poor against aristocratic tyranny. "The Sicilian Count of Monte Cristo." Foundational in Sicilian popular culture — widely read in Sicily, barely known outside Italy. Their alleged meeting place under Piazza Beati Paoli can still be visited.
Arabic Sicily
Poets, geographers & thinkers from the Islamic and Norman periods — with links to read their works in Arabic.
ابن حمديس — Ibn Hamdis
Syracuse, 1056 — Majorca, 1133
The most celebrated Sicilian Arabic poet. Born in Syracuse during the last years of Muslim rule, he fled when the Normans conquered the island and spent his life writing poems of devastating nostalgia for his lost homeland. His diwan contains roughly 370 poems.
فإن كنتُ أُخرجتُ من جنّةٍ فإني أُحدّثُ أخبارَها
"I remembered Sicily, and grief stirs the soul's memories of her / If I was driven from a paradise, I can still tell her stories"
"Never shall I forget — no, never forget — the course of the river Ibrahim or the river Abbas"
Read the full diwan online
- aldiwan.net — All 366 poems, browsable and searchable
- usul.ai — 787-page paginated reader
- Archive.org — Schiaparelli edition (1897) — first critical edition, 568pp
- Archive.org — Ihsan Abbas edition (1960) — standard modern critical edition
الشريف الإدريسي — Al-Idrisi
Ceuta, 1100 — Sicily, ~1165
The great geographer at Roger II's court. His masterwork نزهة المشتاق في اختراق الآفاق is a comprehensive atlas of the known world with 70 maps. Sicily is in Clime 4, Part 2. His Arabic prose is more approachable than poetry — a good starting point for learners.
- Arabic Wikisource — full text — navigate to الإقليم الرابع for Sicily
- Archive.org — 1592 Rome edition
ابن القطاع الصقلي — Ibn al-Qatta' al-Siqilli
Sicily, 1041 — Cairo, 1121
His الدرة الخطيرة في شعراء الجزيرة ("The Precious Pearl: Poets of the Island") anthologizes 170 Sicilian poets with ~20,000 verses — the single most important source for Sicilian Arabic poetry.
- shamela.ws — full text (may require browser access)
Source Collections
Biblioteca Arabo-Sicula (Michele Amari, 1880–81) — every Arabic text mentioning Sicily. Arabic vol. · Italian trans.
Poeti arabi di Sicilia (Francesca Corrao) — bilingual Arabic–Italian anthology. Italian translations by Sanguineti, Luzi, Zanzotto. Mesogea
Scholarly Reading
Lives of the Great Languages
How Arabic and Latin structured Mediterranean thought in parallel. Sicily as the central case study. The most theoretically sophisticated book on the topic.
Where Three Worlds Met
Sicily as the node where Byzantine, Islamic, and Latin Christian networks intersected. A great starting point.
Narrating Muslim Sicily
The Arabic-language literary and intellectual sources, many translated into English for the first time. How you access the Arabic side of the story.
Muslim Sicily: Encounters and Legacy
The most recent scholarly collection. Open Access. Chapters on Fatimid connections, philosophy, law, theology, and cultural memory.
Arabic Administration in Norman Sicily
The Normans' adoption of Arabic forms was deliberate image-making, not "tolerance." Controversial and brilliant. Reframes the whole question of cultural exchange.
Ibn Hamdis the Sicilian
The definitive English study of the greatest Sicilian Arabic poet. Places him in the tradition of rithā' al-mudun — elegies for lost cities.
Quasimodo — Born in Modica
Salvatore Quasimodo (1901–1968) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1959. His birthplace in Modica may be visitable.
Ed è subito sera
Ognuno sta solo sul cuor della terra
trafitto da un raggio di sole:
ed è subito sera.
Each of us stands alone on the heart of the earth / pierced by a ray of sunlight: / and suddenly it's evening.
Complete Poems
Bevan fought in the Italian campaign in WWII and spent decades translating Quasimodo. The definitive English collection.
Visit Modica with the "Ed è subito sera" poem in mind. An 11-year-old can grasp the three lines. Read it aloud at the birthplace.
Films Set in Sicily
Modern essentials — watch before the trip.
Cinema Paradiso
A filmmaker remembers his Sicilian childhood and his friendship with the projectionist. The definitive love letter to Sicily and cinema. Watch with the whole family.
Inspector Montalbano
Based on Camilleri's novels. Ragusa Ibla = "Vigata." You'll recognize filming locations everywhere. Watch 2–3 episodes before visiting Ragusa/Modica/Scicli.
The Leopard
Visconti's gorgeous, melancholy epic of declining Sicilian aristocracy. The ballroom scene is one of the greatest in cinema. Best appreciated after reading the novel.
The Godfather I & II
Bar Vitelli and the San Nicolò church in Savoca are pilgrimage sites. A short drive from Taormina on your route. Adults only / selective scenes for 11-year-old.
La Terra Trema
Neorealist masterpiece about Sicilian fishermen, filmed with actual fishermen as actors. Based on Verga's novel. One of the essential films of world cinema.
The White Lotus S2
Dark comedy about wealthy vacationers. The Taormina locations are gorgeous.
Historical Films
From Greek mythology to Garibaldi — films that bring Sicily's deep layers to life. No mafia.
The Odyssey
Nolan's epic Odyssey. The Cyclops Polyphemus lived on Sicily — traditionally Mount Etna. The Faraglioni rocks at Aci Trezza are the boulders Polyphemus hurled at Odysseus's ships. You will drive past them.
The Odyssey
Solid 3-hour adaptation. Memorable Cyclops sequence. Family-friendly with some intense scenes.
The Siege of Syracuse
The Roman siege of 214–212 BC. Archimedes' mirrors burn Roman ships. Italian peplum — lush, melodramatic, historically loose, but visually entertaining. Watch for atmosphere, not accuracy.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Archimedes is central to the plot. Filming locations include Castello Maniace, the Ear of Dionysius, and the Grotta dei Cordari caves. The 11-year-old will love spotting them.
Vespro siciliano
One of the few films to dramatize the 1282 uprising against the French. Watch alongside Runciman's history for the full picture.
I vespri siciliani — Verdi
Verdi's grand opera about the Vespers. Even if opera isn't your thing, the overture is one of Verdi's finest.
Viva l'Italia!
Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand — from landing at Marsala through the conquest of Sicily. Rossellini's first color film. He said he was "more proud of this film than any other he ever made."
1860
A Sicilian partisan travels north to beg Garibaldi to come rescue his besieged island. The Sicilian perspective on unification — desperation, hope, sacrifice.
Allonsanfàn
1816. An aging Jacobin becomes disillusioned after the Restoration. Stunning photography, magical realism. The main theme was later used in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.
Senso
1866 — an Italian contessa betrays the Risorgimento for an Austrian officer. Gorgeous Technicolor. Not set in Sicily but depicts the political world of The Leopard from the northern side.
Bronte
The dark side of Garibaldi's liberation: when Bronte revolted against feudal landlords, Garibaldi's lieutenant crushed the peasants. A scandal when released. The liberation wasn't liberation for everyone.
Kaos
Four Pirandello stories set in late 1800s rural Sicily, plus a sublime epilogue where Pirandello returns to his birthplace. Three hours of earthy Sicilian life.
Paisà — Episode 1
The day the Allies landed in Sicily, July 1943. A Sicilian girl guides an American patrol past a German minefield. Filmed with non-professional actors. The chaos and human cost of liberation.
Documentaries
Sicily: The Wonder of the Mediterranean
The best single documentary on Sicily's layered history. Ep 1: Neolithic through Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, to the Arab conquest. Ep 2: Arab golden age, Norman conquest, Spanish Inquisition, unification. Covers every period and visits the exact sites on your itinerary.
Sicily Unpacked
The Caravaggio biographer and a Sicilian chef journey through the island together. Art, food, history, landscape. The most delightful and accessible of all Sicily documentaries.
For the 11-Year-Old
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
If not read yet, start here. A boy discovers he's the son of a Greek god. Makes mythology accessible, funny, and exciting.
The myths come alive at the Greek Theatre in Syracuse and the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.
Stephen Fry's Mythos / Heroes / Troy / Odyssey
Greek myths retold with wit and encyclopedic knowledge. British humor, rich detail. Read by Fry himself on audiobook — perfect for the drive.
Troy is relevant since the family is seeing the INDA Iliad performance in Syracuse!
My Mini Sicily
Myths, ancient temples, volcanoes — designed for children. Covers the exact sights on your trip.
By Location
What to read and watch at each stop on your route.
See: Caravaggio's Burial of St. Lucy; walk the Latomia quarries where the Athenian prisoners were held
Watch: Stromboli (volcanic themes) · The Odyssey (Cyclops myth is set here)
Watch: The Godfather (Savoca), White Lotus S2 · Greek theatre with Etna view
Watch: Kaos (Pirandello stories, filmed nearby) · Valley of the Temples; Empedocles was from here
Watch: Inspector Montalbano — Ragusa Ibla = "Vigata"
Watch: Inspector Montalbano (filmed here) · Quasimodo's birthplace; chocolate capital
"Garden of stone" — the finest baroque city, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake
Watch: Cinema Paradiso · Beautiful white sand beach