Think Sicily Think Puglia Secure Client Area
think sicily

The most desirable villas in Sicily

London Office +44 (0)20 7377 8518    US & CAN 1-800-490-1107

  • Booking
  • What to expect
  • FAQ
  • Who we are
  • In the press
Make an Enquiry
  • Home
  • Villas in Sicily
  • Guide to Sicily
  • Think Experiences
  • Flights & Car Rental
0 villas in your enquiry list
  • Guide to Sicily >
  • Sicilian history
 

Sicilian history

A mythical land

Polyphemus and Odysseus, Persephone and Demeter, Acis and Galatea, Charybdis and Scylla, Hephaestus the blacksmith and Dionysus the inventor of wine... The cast of Sicilian mythology!

Syracuse defeats Athens

Syracuse was always the most important Greek city in Sicily but in 413BC, after humiliating mighty Athens, it became the most powerful city in the entire Mediterranean.

The Roman sack of Sicily

Rome ruled Sicily from 211BC to 440AD, during which time the largest island in the Mediterranean became a source of food (Rome’s bread basket) and artistic treasures to be plundered.

The Arabs in Sicily

As-Salamu `Alaykum was once a common greeting in Sicily! Why? Because from 827 to 1061, Sicily was under Arab rule, a period of enlightenment that had a profound and long-lasting influence.

A unique artistic fusion

When the Normans ousted the Arabs from Sicily, a new architectural style was born, combining geometric Islamic art, north Euopean grandeur and Byzantine spleandour.

The Sicilian Vespers

How do you pronounce Cicero? If you mispronounced it in Sicily in 1282, you'd have been in serious trouble! Cicero was the word Sicilians used to unmask their French Angevin enemies!

Marettimo to Monterey

A curious story of emigration, salmon-fishing and colonisation: how the inhabitants of Marettimo, the most remote and isolated of the Egadi Islands, settled in California...

A historical overview of Sicily

 

Over 2,500 years at a strategic crossroads of the western world have left Sicily with an unparalleled historical legacy. Nowhere else have Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Germans, Spanish, Italians and even British left such an indellible impression. Whether you are more attracted by Greek temples, Roman villas, Norman cathedrals or Baroque churches, Sicily offers a range of historical sites that is not easily matched.

 


Rule Britannia!

Nelson's Column is one of the most famous monuments in the world, but have you ever heard of Nelson's Castle? Well, it exists, and it's in Sicily! The story of how this came to pass begins in 1798...

To Rome or Death!

"Without seeing Sicily it is impossible to understand Italy - Sicily is the key to everything," wrote Goethe. Garibaldi thought the same: his reunification of Italy started in Sicily.

Enter the Iron Prefect

Mussolini visited Sicily in 1924 and came away enraged after a mafioso Mayor insulted him. Revenge was swift and in 1925 Cesare Mori, the Iron Prefect, was sent to destroy the Mafia.

The Allied Invasion of Sicily

On the night of 9th July 1943 Operation Husky got underway. Sicily was to be wrested from German control, but two immense egos turned the invasion into a personal battle...

Go to ThinkPuglia.com

Sign up for our newsletter

  • About us

  • Who are Think Sicily?
  • What is The Thinking Traveller?
  • How do I book?
  • What should I expect from my holiday?
  • Think Sicily in the press.
  • Read client reviews for Think Sicily.
  •  
  • Travel Advice

  • Travel to and around Sicily from the UK
  • Flights to Sicily
  • Car rentals in Sicily
  • Travel in Sicily by car, sea and rail
  • Most popular villa collections

  • Sea-front villas in Sicily
  • Family villas in Sicily
  • Luxury villas in Sicily
  • Sea-front villas with pools
  • Villas with pools
  • Villas with 1 to 3 bedrooms
  • Honeymoon in Sicily
  • Villas near Taormina
  • Villas near Modica
  • Villas near Cefalu
  •  
  • See all our villa collections
  • Guide to Sicily

  • Weather and climate in Sicily
  • Beaches in Sicily
  • Sicilian recipes
  • The coast of Sicily
  • Mount Etna
  • Maps of Sicily
  • Browse the whole guide...
  •  
  • Enhance your trip to Sicily

  • Think Experiences
  • Download the Think Sicily iPhone and iPad App guide to Sicily
  • The Thinking Traveller Ltd

  • The Old Truman Brewery
  • 91-95 Brick Lane
  • London E1 6QL
  • UK

  • +44 (0)20 7377 8518
  • info@thinksicily.com

  • Registered in England & Wales:442653
  • VAT No. GB801931750

© 2002–2012 The Thinking Traveller All rights reserved | Booking Conditions