Illustrated History of Sicily

A visual journey through the land, cuisine, people, language, and living traditions of Sicily — the crossroads of civilizations.

Illustrated History of Sicily

A visual journey through the land, cuisine, people, language, and living traditions of Sicily — the crossroads of civilizations.

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 About the Author

Joseph Sturiale

Author kayaking on the Bogue Sound in NC.

Kayaking on Bogue Sound in North Carolina

Author Biography

Joseph Sturiale is a retired banking professional, currently residing in Virginia. Born in Sicily, his family emigrated to the U.S. just prior to his second birthday. He grew up on Long Island, NY with his parents and a younger sister. After graduating from a local Catholic high school, he received an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Rochester and a graduate degree in Banking from Adelphi University. After marrying in the 1990s, he and his wife Jean moved to Northern Virginia, where they raised three daughters.
Joseph has spent a lifetime reading about history, particularly the stories of the great ancient empires of Western Civilization, of medieval Europe, and the history of the United States. In recent years he has devoted much of his time to researching the genealogical history of his Sicilian ancestors. The Sicilian Odyssey book project initially started as a collection of short essays about the history of the island, written exclusively for various family members, as part of his genealogical pursuits.

Over time, these modest sized essays expanded in scope into a comprehensive book project, largely motivated by the author’s desire to tell the true story of Sicily and its people to a larger audience. The book also allows him to speak up in defense of his proud heritage, and challenge centuries of misunderstandings, distortions, and ugly lies, which continue to unjustly sully the good name and reputation of the Sicilian people.

Personal family photographs

Joe and Jean relaxing at home
Joe and Jean and their daughters in Giardini-Naxos, Sicily
Joe and Jean in Noto, Sicily
Joe and Jean glacier hiking in Norway
Joe and Jean surrounded by their family in Sicily
Joe, Jean and their family in front of his hometown church in Santa Teresa Di Riva, Sicily.

Mission

Most history books written about Sicily have focused almost exclusively on the actions of its conquerors and rulers, of kings, emperors, popes, the aristocracy, and the Mafia. Either completely ignored or else barely mentioned in these historical works about Sicily are the stories of her people. The author’s objective for Sicilian Odyssey was to write the Sicilian people back into the history of Sicily, telling the accurate story of their many centuries of suffering and exploitation, and their ultimate triumph over their oppressors.
Sicilian Odyssey is the product of the author’s lifelong exploration of his Sicilian heritage. It represents the summarized history of the trials and hardships of the Sicilian people that he desired to pass down to his family, and to other individuals of Sicilian descent, eager to understand the real history of their ancestors.

“The real story of Sicily, the one which runs like a binding thread through each era of Sicilian history, is that of its people”

A word from Joseph Sturiale, in his own voice, from the opening pages of Sicilian Odyssey

Joseph is available for speaking engagements, book clubs, cultural organization events, Italian-American association meetings, and university lectures. He has developed several presentation topics drawn from the book.

Joseph Sturiale

Invite Joseph to Speak