Is Sicily really much more 'backwards' and traditional than the rest of Italy? (best, life)

[Trimac20]

First off I don't really like the term 'backwards', although I've heard historically Sicily trailed behind the rest of Italy as it rose out of the ashes of World War II. There were the negatives: it was the poorest part of Italy, had the most migrants leaving the country, least developed infrastructure.etc, but also the most traditional, family-orientated culture that maintained the 'old ways.' Indeed, I see as much if not more good than bad in this.

Does Sicily retain much of this traditional charm? For those who have visited, do the people/does the general feel of Palermo feel like it's stuck in time, in a good way? Does it feel noticeably less rich than Lombardy, Roma or even Napoli? Did you find the way of life more relaxed, the people more hospitable, less hurried, more family-orientated than the bigger cities?

[italianuser]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

First off I don't really like the term 'backwards', although I've heard historically Sicily trailed behind the rest of Italy as it rose out of the ashes of World War II. There were the negatives: it was the poorest part of Italy, had the most migrants leaving the country, least developed infrastructure.etc, but also the most traditional, family-orientated culture that maintained the 'old ways.' Indeed, I see as much if not more good than bad in this.

Does Sicily retain much of this traditional charm? For those who have visited, do the people/does the general feel of Palermo feel like it's stuck in time, in a good way? Does it feel noticeably less rich than Lombardy, Roma or even Napoli? Did you find the way of life more relaxed, the people more hospitable, less hurried, more family-orientated than the bigger cities?

Have you ever been in Sicily?
Well, Sicily and Calabria are in fact the poorest regions of Italy (and maybe Europe): anyone can notice it just visiting such regions... poverty, filth and urban blight everywhere. Even the most popular touristic destinations (Taormina, San Vito Lo Capo, Tropea) are quite shabby and local people aren't exactly wealthy
And - yes - even Naples is actually richer than Sicily's cities.
Also, I know that there is still a lot of stupid stereotypes about Southern Italy, but the way of life isn't relaxed and/or laid-back: Palermo, Messina, Catania are actually hectic, exhausting and stressfull cities... they are more similar to Latin America cities rather than Europe's ones...

[miticoman]

Originally Posted by italianuser

Have you ever been in Sicily?

La conosco bene Taormina Rocca lumera.......la granita al gelsomino....ma..d dove 6?

[cojoncillo]

Italian

You remind me of Police Chief Polenza......He had a big map of Italy in his office, and he always covered Sicily with his hand and said "that's better". He was always wondering if an atomic explosion would be enough to make the island disappear..

I miss Italian movies, when I was a kid we could watch Italian and French movies every week at any Spanish movie theater....they are gone.. Now we only have Hollywood movies or subsidised European films that are horrendous, weird.

[miticoman]

Originally Posted by cojoncillo

Italian

You remind me of Police Chief Polenza......He had a big map of Italy in his office, and he always covered Sicily with his hand and said "that's better". He was always wondering if an atomic explosion would be enough to make the island disappear..

I miss Italian movies, when I was a kid we could watch Italian and French movies every week at any Spanish movie theater....they are gone.. Now we only have Hollywood movies or subsidised European films that are horrendous, weird.

Hola hombre

Qué puedo decir, los tiempos cambian, incluso las personas y las cosas

[bale002]

Until people realize that the Mediterranean history of places like Sicily (some 5,000 years) is much longer than its history as part of a modern nation-state, in this case Italy (a mere 150 years or so), confined mainly to Europe, we will continue to see the same hackneyed school-boy questions about it as has been the case over the past two or three generations.

Cut their natural geographical, social and market space in two, and unnaturally change their geographical orientation, relegating them to the periphery instead of in the middle of a superhighway, and the relative usefulness of their natural resources, what do you expect?

From that perspective, some of Sicily is doing quite well. I remember in Palermo seeing young women full of shopping bags with the most superfluous consumer items, as if in Paris or New York. Some southern ports of Sicily are gateways for oil and gas from the southern Mediterranean (ENI).

At the same time, I also remember in relatively remote provinces of Campania and Calabria a few old men using donkey and cart as a means of agricultural transport (also in Portugal), but these were isolated incidents.

My impression is that a lot of Sicilians and southern Italians like to complain and exaggerate mainly to keep the subsidies flowing from northern Italy and Europe.

As to your other points, I haven't been there in about ten years, but I do remember that the food is much better in Sicily than, say, Lombardia, still many, many family-owned bakeries, etc., making their own specialties from bread to pastries, while that had virtually disappeared in Lombardia.

Overall I would say that Lombardia is more well-ordered and, yes, visibly more wealthy, and the wealth visibly more widespread, but that doesn't mean that there are no wealthy, even very wealthy, not to mention cultured and very highly cultured people in Sicily and in southern Italy. Indeed, as italianuser mentioned, the cities there are more like Latin American ones rather than European ones, but this too should also be of little surprise since southern Italy and Sicily were part of the same Spanish Empire much longer than they have been part of the modern nation-state Italy and the European Union (really a fraction of a second, historically, and it may not even last to midnight, turning instead into a pumpkin).

In any case, if I were to live in Sicily or southern Italy, it would be Messina, Catania or Lecce, and it may be possible, though certainly not easy, for you too to find a niche.

Hope this helps.

[helloimage]

How about Salerno?

[miticoman]

Originally Posted by bale002

Until people realize that the Mediterranean history of places like Sicily (some 5,000 years) is much longer than its history as part of a modern nation-state, in this case Italy (a mere 150 years or so), confined mainly to Europe, we will continue to see the same hackneyed school-boy questions about it as has been the case over the past two or three generations.

Cut their natural geographical, social and market space in two, and unnaturally change their geographical orientation, relegating them to the periphery instead of in the middle of a superhighway, and the relative usefulness of their natural resources, what do you expect?

From that perspective, some of Sicily is doing quite well. I remember in Palermo seeing young women full of shopping bags with the most superfluous consumer items, as if in Paris or New York. Some southern ports of Sicily are gateways for oil and gas from the southern Mediterranean (ENI).

At the same time, I also remember in relatively remote provinces of Campania and Calabria a few old men using donkey and cart as a means of agricultural transport (also in Portugal), but these were isolated incidents.

My impression is that a lot of Sicilians and southern Italians like to complain and exaggerate mainly to keep the subsidies flowing from northern Italy and Europe.

As to your other points, I haven't been there in about ten years, but I do remember that the food is much better in Sicily than, say, Lombardia, still many, many family-owned bakeries, etc., making their own specialties from bread to pastries, while that had virtually disappeared in Lombardia.

Overall I would say that Lombardia is more well-ordered and, yes, visibly more wealthy, and the wealth visibly more widespread, but that doesn't mean that there are no wealthy, even very wealthy, not to mention cultured and very highly cultured people in Sicily and in southern Italy. Indeed, as italianuser mentioned, the cities there are more like Latin American ones rather than European ones, but this too should also be of little surprise since southern Italy and Sicily were part of the same Spanish Empire much longer than they have been part of the modern nation-state Italy and the European Union (really a fraction of a second, historically, and it may not even last to midnight, turning instead into a pumpkin).

In any case, if I were to live in Sicily or southern Italy, it would be Messina, Catania or Lecce, and it may be possible, though certainly not easy, for you too to find a niche.

Hope this helps.

You explained everything very well, but we must be careful to do not fall into the localist feeling trap, the regions that make up our state have all a their own history and all contribute to give a positive image.

unfortunately for professional deformation l'm very suspicious and malicious, I think the op is going to create a lil bit of confusion how to say ..trying to hit under the bealt, I suggest to all Italian users or ppl with Italian origin, and here they are a lot, get the op intention on contrary , smile and wink to him... say that here everything goes for the best

[cojoncillo]

Mitico

Of course, just as in Spain, you have opportunistic politicians stressing differences and not similarities. A first step to create their little ficticious nationalities and become president, create a new history and "mitos". Sicily is now a full fledged part of Italy, the past is inconsequential. They were also a part of the Catalano-Aragonese and Spanish empire, they were also part of the Angevin Empire, Normans, Bizantine, Romans, Carthaginean, Greek, Phoenicians, Siculans...just like any nation of Western Europe...but now they are Italians.

I'm just sick of nationalists trying to stress national differences, and selling those little stupid differences to the world....to the US. I find such thing pathetic. Now we have the Catalan "president" in Boston saying that Catalonia is one of the richest "nations" of Southern Europe, trying to break out from the Spanish Trademark....I find such thing totally IDIOTIC, provincial and decimononic and a shame for Catalans.

[italianuser]

Originally Posted by helloimage

How about Salerno?

Salerno is in Campania: it's actually wealthier than almost any city in Calabria and Sicily.
It is also a beautiful, livable, tidy historical district, a lively waterfront and it's close to wonderful places such as Amalfi and Cilento... the cons? The traffic