Sicily Interesting Facts
Interesting and fun facts about Sicily, sicilian myths, sicilian legends, habits, famous places, movie, filming location and set, folk tales, culture, folklore, anecdotes, or simply fun facts to knows for those who want fully enjoy their time in Sicily.
The whole of Sicily is a land rich in history and traditions and every place hides an interesting fact to know, an anecdote, a curiosity.
To fully enjoy your holiday in Sicily, it is not enough to admire its beauties, taste the flavors, discover the small treasures of craftsmanship, participate in parties, festivals and folklore events, but also knowing a legend, discovering an anecdote, an interesting fact related to a place, to a custom or an object.
Only in this way will your journey lead you to discover the most authentic Sicily.
Filming locations
Some indications will be useful for you to find and recognize a place already seen on TV or on the big screen. Numerous and important movie, commercials and television series have in fact been shot in Sicily.
The White Lotus 2 Filming Location
The second season of The White Lotus was set in Sicily at the Hotel San Domenico Palace in Taormina...
Places of The Godfather - Savoca
Savoca, and more in details the Vitelli Bar, have become famous throughout the world as the set of some scenes of "The Godfather"...
Places of I Vicerè - Catania
I Vicerè, the most famous novel by Federico De Roberto, but also a film by Roberto Faenza, was set in Catania...
Places of Baarìa - Bagheria
The film Baarìa tells of the city of Bagheria, the Sicilians, Sicily, its traditions and its history...
New Cinema Paradiso - Cefalù
Cefalù with its small harbor populated by boats and fishermen is the background to some scenes of Nuovo cinema Paradiso...
Places of Pizza Connection - Palermo
The film “Pizza Connection” was almost entirely shot in the streets of the city of Palermo...
Places of Johnny Stecchino - Catania
Many scenes of the film Johnny Stecchino were shot in Sicily, one in particular in Catania, in the Massimo Bellini theater...
Mimì metarllurgico ferito nell'onore
The scenes from the film Metallurgical Mimì wounded in honor take place in the streets of the Ognina district and on the Catania seafront...
Places of Storia di una Capinera - Catania
In mid-nineteenth-century Catania, in via crociferi and in many other places, the scenes of Story of a blackcap were shot...
Il Gattopardo - Piana degli Albanesi
Some scenes of "Il Gattopardo" were shot in the Sicilian countryside of Piana degli Albanesi...
Places of Malizia - Acireale
In the Baroque city of Acireale the events of "Malizia" take place, one of the most successful Italian erotic comedies...
Castle of Slaves: places of The Godfather
The Castle of the Slaves is famous throughout the world because it was used as a set in the film trilogy "The Godfather"...
Inspector Montalbano - Ragusa
The Cathedral and the square of Ragusa Ibla return in many episodes of the television series of "Il Commissario Montalbano"...
Places of The little devil - Taormina
There are many scenes from the film “The little devil” shot in Taormina: at the station, in the main street and in many other places...
Places of Malèna - Syracuse
Several scenes from the film "Malèna" were set in the splendid Piazza Duomo and in other places in Syracuse...
Myths & Legends
Legend of the Giant Enceladus
The legend of Enceladus tells of the giant who was buried under Sicily, with Mount Etna above his head...
Legend of the Rape of Proserpina
The abduction of Proserpina took place at Pergusa Lake and is one of the most famous myths of the Sicilian tradition...
Colapesce legend
The legend of Colapesce is an ancient Sicilian story that tells the story of a young man from Capo Peloro, with a passion for the sea...
Curiosities about the Cyclops
According to mythology, Mount Etna was inhabited by the Cyclops. The origin of myth is perhaps linked to some bone findings...
Legend of Aci and Galatea
The legend of Aci and Galatea tells of the love between a nymph, Galatea, and a shepherd boy named Aci...
Legend of Venus and Vulcan
There is a place in the Alcantara Gorges where Venus used to bathe, in the waters warmed by Vulcan...
The legend of Alfeo and Arethusa
The legend of Alfeo and Arethusa, which tells of an eternal love, is intimately linked to the fountain of Arethusa in Ortigia...
Curiosities about tyrant Dionysus
The name of Dionysus is linked to a cave that bears his name, the Ear of Dionysus, but there are other anecdotes about him...
Curiosities about the sword of Damocles
The expression "having a sword of Damocles on your head" was born in Syracuse, at the court of the famous Dionysius the Elder...
Daedalus, Minos and Agrigento
The story of Daedalus, famous for its labyrinth and of Minos, king of Crete, are closely linked to the city of Agrigento.
Icaro and Mount Kronio
There is a version of the myth that it was not the sun that melted Icarus' wax wings but the vapors of Mount Kronio...
Legend of Scilla and Cariddi
The legend of Scilla and Charybdis tells of mythological deeds of gods and mortals in the stretch of water of the Strait of Messina...
Religious
Our Lady of Tears in Siracusa
The Our Lady of Tears in Siracusa refers to a miraculous event that took place in the Sicilian city in 1953...
The oldest wooden cross in the world
The oldest wooden cross in the world is located in Sicily, in Casteltermini, a small village in the province of Agrigento, and dates back to 2000 years ago...
The Footprint of Sant'Agata in Catania
According to tradition, the footprints of Sant’Agata are kept, in a small niche, in Catania...
Legend Madonna della Rocca in Taormina
The legend of the Madonna della Rocca tells the origins of the sanctuary that dominates Taormina...
Footprint of Porta Sant'Agata in Palermo
The Sant'Agata la Pedata church in Palermo owes its name to a boulder which bears the imprint of the foot of Sant’Agata...
The statue of the Madonna of Tindari
The legend of the statue of the Madonna of Tindari tells the beginning of the cult of the Black Madonna of Tindari...
The legend of the fallen child
The legend of fallen child is linked to the cult of the Black Madonna and tells of a miracle that took place in Sanctuary of Tindari...
The Holy Crucifix of Ribera
The legend of the Holy Crucifix of Ribera tells the story of its discovery which took place by the hand of a baker...
Legend of the Sanctuary of Partanna
The legend tells of the miraculous event that gave rise to the cult of Madonna della Libera in Partanna...
Famous Characters
These nice facts will lead you to meet people who have become famous in throughout Sicily.
Legend of the Baroness of Carini
The legend of the Baroness of Carini is a true story, which tells a tragic story that took place in the castle of Carini...
Bronte and the Brontë sisters
The Sicilian city of Bronte has a deep connection with the famous Victorian writers and Brontë sisters...
Legend of the Pii Brothers
The legend of the Pii brothers tells the story of two young farmers named Anapia and Anfinomo and of a frightening lava flow...
Legend of the Sultanas of Aci
The legends of the four sultans of Aci tell the stories of brave women who lived in small villages on the Ionian coast...
Genio of Palermo
The Genius is one of the symbols of Palermo, which together with Santa Rosalia has the task of protecting the city and its inhabitants...
Sir Hardcastle and the Valley of the Temples
Sir Hardcastle was the proponent of the rebirth of the Valley of the Temples which took place in the early twentieth century...
Ghosts & Superstitions
Mysterious stories linked to the presence of ghosts that inhabit churches, theaters, castles, will feed the magic of the places you will visit
The Devil's Letter
The Devil's Letter, transcribed by a nun from the monastery of Palma di Montechiaro, is an unsolved mystery in the history of Sicily...
Legend of the Castle of Donna Fugata
The Legend of Donna Fugata Castle is linked to the figure of the Count Bernardo Cabrera, lord of the County of Modica...
Dialect & Idioms
A Putia
A Putia, which in Sicilian dialect means the shop, is a place where goods were exhibited, stored or sold...
Mi siddia: origin and meaning
Mi siddia more than a phrase or a Sicilian way of saying, it represents a state of mind, a mood, a Sicilian lifestyle...
Scecchi: donkeys in Sicilian
In Sicily donkeys are called scecchi. The origin of this term is linked to the legend of King Miramolino...
