(April 26th 2016) Sicily finds itself in an era when terrorism and the migrant crisis threaten the security and stability of the Mediterranean, it is “much more than a simple island”, words of the Italian Ambassador to London, Pasquale Terracciano at the inauguration of the exhibition titled “Sicily: culture and conquest” hosted by the British Museum until the 14th of August. The exhibition was organised in collaboration with the Region of Sicily and the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute, aims to illustrate the ancient history and multiculturalism of the island. Among the most important cultural events of 2016, highlighted as well by British headlines, “Sicily: culture and concquest” brings together over two hundred objects and works of art, many of which have never left Sicily before, focusing on the Greek and Norman periods. It is an important exhibition not only for its historical and artistic value, but also, as mentioned earlier, for its meaning in relation to current events. For more than 4,000 years Sicily as seen Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans whose peaceful coexistence has given the island a multicultural identity. A long anticipated exhibition by the British public, considering that British travellers and archaeologists have contributed to strengthening relations between Sicily and the United Kingdom. Ambassador Terracciano has seized the opportunity to invite us to visit Sicily and to discover its beauty and treasures of which the island is so rich.
