Two stops that you should place on your itinerary when you visit Sicily are off the beaten path and are not as famous as Palermo, Taormina or Siracusa ... MARSALA and MAZARA DEL VALLO ... will give you a completely different perspective on what being a Sicilian is and the many diverse cultures that make up "being Sicilian"

Marsala has a distinct Arabic flavor to it. Its name originally was Marsa'Ali (port of Ali)...an entry port during the Arab Saracen invasion in the 10th century, and that flavor is still evident today! It has the largest population in the province of Trapani and is full of unbelievable sights, sounds and textures (actually, what area of Sicily isn't?). Located at the westernmost tip of Sicily, it lies on the Cape Boeo and its history includes occupation from the ancient Carthaginians (today modern Libya) and others all the way back to the fourth century B.C!
After the Carthaginians were defeated by the Romans in the Punic Wars in the second and third century, (there were three Punic Wars in all), for centuries it was a holiday place of wealthy Romans and the Insula Romana is one of Sicily's most important archaeological sites. In the tenth century, the Normans (French) threw out the Saracen invaders and merged beautiful Norman design and culture into the Carthaginian/Arab/Roman populace creating a multi- ethnic people. Not to be outdone, the English in the 18th century turned the area into one of the world's finest wine-producing areas, famous even today.

Of course, when Italy was unified back in the 1860's, the entry point was Marsala for the Landing of the Thousand on May 11th, 1860 by Garibaldi. The modern day Italian George Washington. Thus ancient Carthaginian, Roman, Arab, French, English cultures merged into this unforgettable area.

Done the road about 40 miles is Marsale Del Vallo, another great wine producing region as well as a huge fishing port. The blending of the above cultures from Marsala is exactly the same here too. Cathedrals (former mosques and Norman churches) and terraces overlooking the sea dot this very distinctive spot. The yellow and red-hued sand color of almost all the buildings there gave me wonder as I walked the streets.

One night, while visiting our pasta manufacturer Pioatti (which is located in Mazara Del Vallo) Massimo and I decided to get a pizza at a pizzeria which was having a karaoke party that night. I was curious about that as I had never seen Italian karaoke and wondered if it was the same as here in the states. During the night most of the young girls (at my age, everyone is younger, it seems) who sang also belly- danced. Confused, I asked Massimo what was going on...Sicilian girls singing in Italian yet doing Arab belly-dancing. Sure enough, Massimo told me that the Arab culture is so ingrained in the local culture that this is the way it is here! By the way, the food (fish dishes primarily) are stupendous. Not just good...stupendous!

Anyway, these two little gems should be added to your list!