Sandra Benjamin
The rich, recorded history of Sicily reaches back for more than three thousand years. Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, Hohenstaufens, Spaniards, Bourbons, the Savoy Kingdom of Italy and the modern era have all held sway, and left lasting influences on the islandâ€™s culture and architecture. And yet no contemporary book tells the story of Sicily in a single volume for the general reader. ,Tourists, armchair travelers, and historians will all delight in this fluid narrative that can be read straight through, dipped into over time, or used as a reference guide to each period in Sicilyâ€™s fascinating tale.,It is a general history, an account of welfare and warfare. Emigration of people from Sicily often overshadows the importance of the people who immigrated to the island through the centuries. Immigrants have included several who became Sicilyâ€™s rulers, along with Jews, Ligurians, and Albanians. All are ancestors of modern Sicilians. Sicilyâ€™s character has also been determined by what passed it by: events that affected Europe generally, namely the Crusades and Columbusâ€™s discovery of the Americas, had remarkably little influence on Italyâ€™s most famous island. ,Maps, biographical notes, suggestions for further reading, a glossary, pronunciation keys, and much more make this book as essential as it is enjoyable.
History,Cultural,Italy,Nonfiction,Travel,Historical
Sicily: Three Thousand Years of Human History