A Fertile History About 3500 years ago, the Siculi, a Latin people from Italy, crossed the straits at the end of the Calabrian coast, landing on what was called Sicania. Violently, they drove the inhabitants, the Sicani, to the western fringe of the island; and Sicania became Sicily. The strategic key to control of the Mediterranean, Sicily became coveted and occupied by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, and Spanish. They fought, established families, cultivated the earth, and raised temples, theatres, churches, palaces and sumptuous dwellings. Although could occupy Sicily, none could own her; the heart of Sicily beats all the same. 

The eastern side of the island was the goal of colonization of several Greek populations in search of land. The first Greek colony in Sicily was Naxos (today Giardini Naxos), founded by “Calcidesi” coming from Eubea region in 734 BC. The same people founded the colony of Lentini in 729 BC. The calcidesi of Naxos moved towards south Sicily along the east coast, and founded a settlement corresponding today to the city of Catania (729 BC). Among other greek people, have to be remembered the Corinthians, who founded Syracuse in 733 BC, and Megarici who founded Megara-Hyblaea. Messina, was founded in 730 BC by calcidesi pirates coming from Cumae. The people from Rhodes and Crete founded the city of Gela. Afterwards, the populations established in the new centers, moved to new colonies: Corinthians of Syracuse founded Akrai in 633 BC (corresponding today to Palazzolo Acreide). The Cretans of Gela settled in Agrigento (Akragas) in 580 BC, and Megarici from Megara Hyblaea founded Selinunte in 627 BC. What remains of that history is the Valley of Temples in Agrigento, the archaeological sites of Segesta. The way of building Theaters can be felt a strong feature of Greek culture, and the sites of Syracuse, Eraclea minoa, Segesta, Sòlunto, Morgantina, Palazzolo Acreide, Taormina are an example.

At the end of the Punic wars Sicily became a Roman province in III century BC. An agricultural interest moved the Romans to Sicily conquest, and this meant exploit the resources of the island. They created small villages, farms, villas that make up the original nucleus of what will be in more recent times the "Latifondo". Sicily became "granary" of the Roman Empire thanks to cereals cultivation. Important signs of Romans are in the "Villa del Casale" in Piazza Armerina and the Amphitheatre in Catania in Piazza Stesichorus.

In 535 the Byzantines conquered Sicily with a shipment sent by emperor Justinian and conducted by its general Belisario. In 660, under the threat from the Muslim Costanzo decided to transfer the capital from Constantinople to Syracuse. This gave new prestige to the city of Syracuse, but didn't give any benefits to the island. Indeed large financial burden and a heavy and unjust tyranny brought in the assassination of emperor in 668. The year after the capital returned to Constantinople for the will of Costanzo's son. The "Byzantine Art" represented God, through a new form of painting, the so-called "icons": golden backgrounds, absence of three-dimensionality, faces with expressions fixed to indicate the solemnity and eternity of the person represented. High performances of these Byzantine art forms are the mosaics of Cathedrals of Cefalu, Palermo and Monreale.

Between IX and X century the Arab completed the conquest of Sicily, and the capital of the new kingdom was Palermo, which still boasts the urban look of the whole Arab Sicily. The capital experienced a period rather than flourishing, in fact it was adorned with gardens, mosques and palaces. The Arabs brought in Sicily new way for land exploitation, thanks to new systems of irrigation and new crops such as sugar cane, melon and citrus fruit.

In 1072 Palermo was occupied and made capital of the new Norman kingdom. The capital was the centre of a new renewal thanks to new churches and palaces, but the most famous case is that of Palazzo d'Orleans, originally a palace-style Arab modified in accordance with the Norman architecture. Today it is home of Sicilian Government. The Church of Monreale is entirely Norman and was built in the 12th century. Today great testimonies remain: the Norman castles of Sicily such as those of Paternò, Adrano and Acicastello, built on a rock emerged from the waters during the birth of Etna.