Did you ever call someone Italian and have them respond, ‘no, I’m Sicilian?’

You probably just laughed, it’s all the same country, right? And if you’ve said it, you may not even know why you did.

Around the time of the American Civil War, Italy was being united. Unlike America, Italy wasn’t a group of colonies with a common language and culture who came together voluntarily to form a country. Italy was a set of kingdoms and city states, all with their own cultures and languages.

Sicily in the early 1800’s, when Austen and Shelly were writing their novels, was intellectually and civically advanced. Sicilians had an established pension system, steamships, iron and steel plants, low taxes, high arts, low infant mortality rates, a school for the deaf, botanical gardens, glass recycling programs, and a nearly universal ownership of a small patch of land (enough to grow food)- it was equal to any of the other countries in Europe.

Then in 1860, Garibaldi (of the English cookie fame) ‘liberated’ Sicily. Who was he liberating the Sicilians from? Well, the Sicilians. And who was one country who backed him? Everyone’s favorite colonizer, England! Well, that explains why the English and not the Sicilians have a cookie named after him.

The British wanted sulphur, which Southern Italy had, and wanted to open the Suez canal, and sent warships to help Garibaldi take the Kingdom (which wasn’t just the island, but stretched at that point to Naples (have you ever heard a person say ‘I am not Italian, I am Neapolitan?’) ) The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which had only been united since 1816, being two separate kingdoms before that, ceased to exist in 1861.

In various cities in Sicily, revolts were squashed. After the mostly unarmed farmer rebellions were put down, with the resultant massacres, the ‘leaders of the revolt’ were put on trial. Given 30 minutes to prepare a defense, they were then either executed or given life sentences. Their property was stolen, their women raped, their children told they were dirty barbarians.

One of the first things that was done to the newly ‘liberated’ Sicily, was the seizure of nearly all religious property. Most of the schools were run by religious orders, and thus for nearly 30 years, there was no place for children in the South to be educated. Twenty seven years passed before the liberators of Sicily gave their children schools.

One hundred and fifty four years after the liberation of Sicily, Italy apologized for the mistreatment of the South which threw it into ignorance and depression.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was only under self rule from 1816-1861. That’s 45 years.

Oh, and Italians don’t use spoons to twirl their pasta. Sicilians do. Remember that the next time someone laughs at spoon use. So, use a spoon to twirl your pasta, eat some pastries, and remember that Sicily has not been under it’s own rule since 1861.

Viva Sicilia, Viva San Giuseppe!