A Sicilian Adventure

I wish to commend Shaw on his beautiful article on behalf of the many others in many Sicilian cultural societies in our area. Congratulations, too, on his “heavenly” decision not only to get married in Italy but to honeymoon in Sicily.

In listing the many invaders who occupied Sicily, however, Shaw omitted the 400 years of government by the kings of Spain who were invited by the Sicilians to do so. That was between 1375 and about 1800, when Napoleon took Spain as well as other parts of Europe. Of course, Sicily also fell to the French. Sicily during those 400 years was stabilized, while in the north the Italians were not. They had their city-states and constantly fought each other and were constantly making “treaties.”

SANTINO M. VASQUES

Simi Valley