List of people from Sicily

Last updated

Sicily is the largest region in Italy in terms of area, with a population of over five million and has contributed many famous names to all walks of life. Geographically, it is the largest and most populated island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Contents

This list includes notable natives of Sicily and its predecessor states, as well as those who were born elsewhere but spent a large part of their active life in Sicily. People of Sicilian heritage and descent are in a separate section of this article. The Sicilian-Americans have a specific list.

Religious figures

Saint Rosalie Interceding for the Plague-Stricken of Palermo, painting of Anthony van Dyck (1624), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Anthony van Dyck - Saint Rosalie Interceding for the Plague-stricken of Palermo.jpg
Saint Rosalie Interceding for the Plague–Stricken of Palermo , painting of Anthony van Dyck (1624), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

Philosophers and scientists

Ettore Majorana, theoretical physicist who worked on neutrino masses; the Majorana equation and Majorana fermions are named after him. Ettore Majorana.jpg
Ettore Majorana, theoretical physicist who worked on neutrino masses; the Majorana equation and Majorana fermions are named after him.

Writers and journalists

Luigi Pirandello, dramatist, novelist and poet; he was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre." Luigi Pirandello 1932.jpg
Luigi Pirandello, dramatist, novelist and poet; he was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre."

Rulers, monarchs and warriors

The Siculo-Norman Roger II, first king of Sicily. Crowned in the Palermo Cathedral in 1130, he founded a kingdom lasted 686 years. Palazzo Reale di Napoli - Ruggero il Normanno.jpg
The Siculo-Norman Roger II, first king of Sicily. Crowned in the Palermo Cathedral in 1130, he founded a kingdom lasted 686 years.

Politicians, civil servants and military personnel

Sergio Mattarella politician, judge and current President of Italy. Sergio Mattarella Presidente della Repubblica Italiana.jpg
Sergio Mattarella politician, judge and current President of Italy.
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, 23rd Prime Minister of Italy who led Italy to victory during World War I and whose political leadership and military reforms and appointments enabled Italy to defeat Austria-Hungary. He was known as "Premier of Victory." VittorioEmanuelleOrlando28379v cropped.jpg
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, 23rd Prime Minister of Italy who led Italy to victory during World War I and whose political leadership and military reforms and appointments enabled Italy to defeat Austria-Hungary. He was known as "Premier of Victory."

Painters, sculptors and architects

Antonello da Messina, painter from Messina, active during the Italian Renaissance; Giorgio Vasari credited him with the introduction of oil painting into Italy. Antonello da Messina - Portrait of a Man - National Gallery London.jpg
Antonello da Messina, painter from Messina, active during the Italian Renaissance; Giorgio Vasari credited him with the introduction of oil painting into Italy.

Musicians

Vincenzo Bellini, opera composer who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania"; some of his works such as La sonnambula, made him one of the most famous composers of his time in Italy and Europe. Vincenzo bellini.jpg
Vincenzo Bellini, opera composer who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania"; some of his works such as La sonnambula, made him one of the most famous composers of his time in Italy and Europe.

Actors, directors and producers

Frank Capra, Sicilian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s and 1940s. Frank Capra.jpg
Frank Capra, Sicilian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s and 1940s.
Maria Grazia Cucinotta, actress who has featured in many films and television series since 1990, and internationally known for her role in the Italian film Il Postino. Maria Grazia Cucinotta - nicogenin - 66eme Festival de Venise (Mostra) 2-2.JPG
Maria Grazia Cucinotta, actress who has featured in many films and television series since 1990, and internationally known for her role in the Italian film Il Postino.

Sports figures

Criminals

Others

Miriam Leone, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Italia 2008 beauty contest. Miriam Leone cropped.jpg
Miriam Leone, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Italia 2008 beauty contest.

Notable people of Sicilian descent by birthplace

Europe

Italy :


Belgium :

France :

Germany :

Switzerland :

United Kingdom :

Africa

Algeria :

Libya :

Tunisia :

America

Argentina :

Canada :

United States :

Australia

Australia :

Footnotes

  1. Born in Normandy, Roger I was the founder of the Sicilian branch of the Hauteville dynasty.
  2. Son of the Great Norman Count Roger I of Sicily, Roger II was born in the Calabrian town of Mileto.
  3. Son of the emperor Henry VI of Swabia and of the Sicilian queen Constance I, Frederick II was born in the small town of Jesi, near Ancona, during a voyage towards Palermo, the city where he grew up. According to many historians, f.i. William Harvey Maehl, the personality of Frederick II was "most of all Sicilian". Maehl concludes that "To the end of his life he remained above all a Sicilian grand signore, and his whole imperial policy aimed at expanding the Sicilian kingdom into Italy rather than the German kingdom southward." (See: Maehl, William Harvey. Germany in Western Civilization. University of Alabama Press, 1979. p. 64).
  4. Son of Frederick II and Bianca Lancia, there are some doubts about his place of birth. According to the most prevalent thesis Manfred was born in Venosa (Basilicata), at that time belonging to the Kingdom of Sicily. However, some Sicilian historians suggest Palermo as his birth place (See: Ortolani, Giuseppe Emanuele. Biografia degli uomini illustri della Sicilia (Vol. 1), 1817).
  5. Son of Peter III of Aragon and Constance II of Sicily, Frederick III was born in Barcelona, but passed most of his life in Sicily, defending for many years the independence of the Kingdom and founding the Sicilian branch of the House of Barcelona.
  6. Son of a Sicilian father and a Neapolitan mother, Visconti was born in Turin but grew up in Palermo.
  7. Son of a Sicilian father and a Venetian mother, Lanza di Trabia was born in Lombardy but grew up in Palermo.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syracuse, Sicily</span> City in Sicily, Italy

Syracuse is a historic city on the Italian island of Sicily, the capital of the Italian province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek and Roman history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace and home of the pre-eminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world. Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily, next to the Gulf of Syracuse beside the Ionian Sea. It is situated in a drastic rise of land with 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) depths being close to the city offshore although the city itself is generally not so hilly in comparison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catania</span> City in Sicily, Italy

Catania is the second-largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, and among the largest in Italy. It has important road and rail transport infrastructures, and hosts the main airport in Sicily. The city is located on Sicily's east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. It is the capital of the 58-municipality region known as the Metropolitan City of Catania, which is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Italy. The population of the city proper is 311,584, while the population of the Metropolitan City of Catania is 1,107,702.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messina</span> Comune in Sicily, Italy

Messina is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 218,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the Metropolitan City. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina and it is an important access terminal to Calabria region, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria on the mainland. According to Eurostat the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russo (surname)</span> Surname list

Russo is a common Southern Italian and Sicilian surname. It is the Southern counterpart of Rossi and comes from a nickname indicating red hair or beard, from russo, russë and russu, from Late Latin russus or rubius, Classical Latin rubeus, "red".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lercara Friddi</span> Comune in Sicily, Italy

Lercara Friddi is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southeast of Palermo.

Greco is a common Italian surname, ranking 10th among the most widespread surnames in Italy, and it literally means "Greek". Historically, its popularity is due to the frequent relationships between Italy and Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lentini</span> Comune in Sicily, Italy

Lentini is a town and comune in the Province of Syracuse, southeastern Sicily, located 35 km north-west of Syracuse.

Caruso is an Italian surname derived from the Sicilian word for boy. In 19th century Sicily, the Carusi were young mine workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvatore (name)</span> Name list

Salvatore is an Italian name meaning saviour. People named Salvatore include: