by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA
What do you think of when you think of Sicily? Do you think
of pizza sold by the meter, or lush lemon groves, or the world-famous
playwright, Luigi Pirandello? Do you think of horses decorated with ornamental
harnesses of brightly colored plumes, or picturesque coastal villages with
magnificent beaches lining emerald-blue seas, or generous people offering you a
helping of delicious Sicilian cassata? Sicily is all of this, and much, much more.
Sicily has always fascinated me because my paternal
grandparents emigrated to the United States from Sicily. In fact, I still have
relatives in Sicily with whom I communicate regularly. When I visited Sicily
and got to tour the island for myself, my fascination turned into love and
admiration for the people whose steadfast tenacity and courage to dream big
have deeply affected the life I live in America today.
So, my ties to this beautiful island are strong and
intimate. It was those very ties that led me to write my trilogy titled The Italian Chronicles. The three novels
of the trilogy—The Madonna of Pisano, A
Sicilian Farewell, and Return to
Bella Terra—all take place, for the most part, in Sicily. The part of the
island that most inspired my novels is Agrigento, a province in the
southwestern part of the island where my ancestors lived for generations and
where the life of my heroine, Maria Landro, unfolds.
Sicily’s
uniqueness derives from its history and its location as a cultural crossroads.
Located between the Italian mainland, from which Siciliy is separated by the
Strait of Messina, and northern Africa, Sicily has, for centuries, been a
melting pot of disparate cultures, ranging from Phoenician to Byzantine to Greek
and Roman. The Normans ruled Sicily for a while, as did the Spaniards. In 1860,
Sicily officially became part of Italy. On May 15, 1946, Sicily was given
official status as an autonomous administrative region under the Italian State.
While Sicily’s physical beauty is breathtaking, what I
love most about the island is its people. Warm and big-hearted, Sicilians are
very caring, hospitable, and generous. One of the ways Sicilians best show
their hospitality is through their cuisine. When you visit a Sicilian home, you
will be offered so much food and so many varieties of food that you will feel
overwhelmed. One thing is certain: You will never go hungry in Sicily.
Despite all the talk about the Mafia, Sicily is considered
the safest place to visit in all of Italy and has a very low crime rate. Indeed,
the Mafia forms only a very small part of the Sicilian population, and most
Sicilians are opposed to this criminal organization and want to get rid of it.
Sicilians want foreigners to think of their island as a
place where art, music, philosophy, and science have flourished and have made
great contributions to the world. It is against this backdrop of rich
historicity that I have created my stories and trust that they will bless all
who read them.
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Copyright 2018 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. MaryAnn Diorio is a widely published, award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children. She is also a Certified Life Coach, a Certified Biblical Counselor, and a Certified Behavior Consultant.
You can find Dr. MaryAnn Diorio on her websites:
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Return to Bella Terra - “A woman, her son, and the man who threatens to come between them…”
