Are Sicilians basically all Italian? If not, wht are some of the main nationalities which are mixed in?

Question

I know that Sicily was taken over by so many countries in the past, that it was not part of Italy until fairly recently. Does anyone have any information for me?

Answer 1

ISN'T THAT IN ITALY SO DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Answer 2

"The position of Sicily as a stepping stone of sorts in the center of the Mediterranean Basin has lent it strategic importance throughout history, resulting in an endless procession of settlers and conquerors. Modern methods of genetic testing enable us to see which have had the greatest demographic impact. Several studies show strong ties between Sicily, mainland southern Italy and Greece, suggesting that the Siculi, Elymi and Greek colonizations were the most important."

Answer 3

I know that the Sicilians are mixed with Moroccan (North African) because Morocco invaded Sicily and southern Italy--that's why they are so much darker than the northern Italians.

Answer 4

Yes, I am of Sicilian and Spanish decent......
My Sicilian Ancestors are of Greek origin ....
I believed my last name was purely Spanish and with info into the actual origin of my surname I was pleasently suprised that my Spanish ancestors were driven from the middle east and settled in Spain with a Greek surname that sounds Spanish !
You are correct about the occupation of Sicily. Many countries have gone there chiefly for military reasons.

Answer 5

Well, they all speak Italian. I spent a weekend there and it seemed very Italian to me. They may consider themselves special or different than mainland Italians, but they are geographically Italian.

I am sure there are many cultures that live there, but that is true also for mainland Italy. I see lots of Africans, Ukrainians, Albananians, etc here.

Answer 6

They're 100% Italian. Of course they have african influences in their culture coz they're really close to Africa. But they're Italian!!!!!
Sicily was joined with the other Italian regions in 1860 following the invasion of irregular troops led by Giuseppe Garibaldi and the resultant so called Risorgimento. It is true that Sicily was taken over by several countries in the past, but they always revolted against them coz they felt to be Italian (this feeling is due to the Roman Empire inheritage).