Difference between Italian and Sicilian culture?

Question

I know Sicilian people are Italians but is there a BIG difference in Sicilian culture and the rest of Italy? How is their lifestyle compared to the rest of the Italian population? I mean do Sicilians have their own famous foods and such that's not the typical Italian style? I also heard that people who speak Italian like up North cant understand the Sicilian accent. Is that true? i know that some words are different but is there a huge difference in dialect?

Answer 1

i am sicilian..today the differences are less than 50years ago..however south people are more friendly and open than north people.. sometime people livin' in north italy can't understand sicilian people 'cause we talk sicilian too (it's  a dialect)  

Answer 2

No differences actually. There were linguistic and cultural differences long time ago(dont' forget that Italy became a nation state in the late 19th century and all the regions had deep differences between them - and some of these remain!), but nowadays italians are generally similar everywhere. The real sicilian dialect is hard to understand like the venetian or sardinian ones.. Sicilians are very open minded, friendly and hospitable persons, food is great and landscape too. No differences just commonplaces! ;D

Answer 3

I'm 16 and I'm from Sicily, sorry but I don't speak English very well... Anyway, it's right that sicilian people have a different culture respect to other Italian regions, such us food, traditions, dialect, and I think that is normal. But I can garantee you that everyone who lives in Italy can understand us, because now the historical situation is very different regarding to 80 years ago. Now there are more gradueted people in Sicily than in the others Italian regions and our lifestyle is like the rest of the Italian population, but we have  better food, fabulos sun and beautiful sea =)

Answer 4

No there is no big difference these days there are immigrants everywhere with vastly different culture, also there is migration inside italy...

There are foods specific to Sicily... but the dialect is not spoken any more, it's only a relic.

Sicilians make bigger hand gestures and are more touchy and friendlier than the northern people who are sometimes cold or reserved... but that's just a generalisation.