Sicily

Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. km and 5 million inhabitants.

Arts

Sicily is well known as a country of art: many poets and writers were born on this region, starting from the Sicilian School in the early 13th century, which inspired much subsequent Italian poetry and created the first Italian standard. The most famous, however, are Luigi Pirandello, Giovanni Verga, Salvatore Quasimodo, Gesualdo Bufalino and the dialectal poet Ignazio Buttitta. Other Sicilian artists include the composers Sigismondo d'India (from Palermo), Vincenzo Bellini (from Catania), as well as the sculptor Tommaso Geraci.

Related Topics:
Sicilian School - Luigi Pirandello - Giovanni Verga - Salvatore Quasimodo - Gesualdo Bufalino - Ignazio Buttitta - Sigismondo d'India - Vincenzo Bellini - Catania - Sculptor - Tommaso Geraci

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Noto and Ragusa contain some of Italy's best examples of Baroque architecture, carved in the local red sandstone. Caltagirone is renowned for its decorative ceramics. Palermo is also a major center of Italian opera. Its Teatro Massimo is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in the world, seating 1400.

Related Topics:
Noto - Ragusa - Baroque - Caltagirone - Palermo - Opera - Teatro Massimo

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Sicily is also home to two prominent folk art traditions, both of which draw heavily on the island's Norman influence. Donkey carts are painted with intricate decorations of scenes from the Norman romantic poems, such as The Song of Roland. The same tales are told in traditional puppet theatres which feature hand-made wooden marionettes.

Related Topics:
Norman - The Song of Roland - Marionettes

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The 1988 movie Cinema Paradiso was about life in a Sicilian town following the Second World War.

Related Topics:
Cinema Paradiso - Second World War

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