Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe first major powers to stake a claim in Sicily were the Phoenicians and the Greeks. Carthage, a rising Phoenician power, and Syracuse, the jewel of Greek Sicily, became bitter opponents, frequently clashing over control. Sicily Becomes the Breadbasket of the Roman RepublicVilla Romana del Casale’s vivid mosaics offer a superb glimpse into aristocratic life during the height of Roman Sicily, photo by Jose Luis Bernardez Ribeiro. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe Roman Republic, the predecessor of the Roman Empire, seized Sicily from the Phoenicians during the First Punic War. From Devastation to Rebirth Under Spanish RuleNoto’s Baroque facades capture the artistic legacy of Spanish Sicily after the devastating 1693 earthquake, photo by gnuckx.
