Anthony Bourdain is Your Guide to Sicily

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 10-14-2013, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by FaerieQueene

Also, one guy said an Arab or North African could understand the Sicilian dialect of Italian better than a North Italian. How much validity to that?!

I don't think it's true. I think he might have been talking about the Maltese language ("Sicilian Arabic") which originated in Sicily. Sicilian is basically just a southern Italian dialect with a lot of Greek mixed in.

I am surprised about the British thing still. I can't think of a single British influence.. I do know there is British influence in Malta, again, though.

What did the people look like that you saw in the videos? I'd be curious if it changed in each village.

Originally Posted by amerinese

Yeah, they also had some dirty looking bazaar scene.

That must have been in Palermo or Trapani.

**~~amerinese~~** · 10-14-2013, 09:03 PM

They looked like wogs.

**alfieb** · 10-15-2013, 02:21 AM

1. The bazaar was in Catania.
2. While their genes aren't to be found, their influences are, as the British navy protected Sicily from Napoleon when all of Italy was Napoleonic except for Sicily and Sardinia, and some wealthy Brits stayed behind. The British were largely responsible for preservation of some of our historical sites, Brits made Marsala wine a big deal, and seamen from northern England introduced the iconic "fisherman' cap" that we Sicilians like to pretend came here from Greece.

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 10-15-2013, 02:22 AM

Originally Posted by alfieb

seamen from northern England introduced the iconic "fisherman' cap" that we Sicilians like to pretend came here from Greece.

Greeks (especially Aegean islanders) wear it too, so they must have also gotten it from the Brits.

**alfieb** · 10-15-2013, 03:45 AM

That, or the Brits got it from Greece and we got it from the Brits. Either way, it's not ancient, but only a few centuries old, and Sicily and Greece had no interaction in that time.

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 10-15-2013, 03:46 AM

Originally Posted by alfieb

That, or the Brits got it from Greece and we got it from the Brits. Either way, it's not ancient, but only a few centuries old, and Sicily and Greece had no interaction in that time.

Greeks do wear it too though. Additionally these photos could have been taken in Sicily and you'd never know.