I can't even begin to describe how much Ancient Sicily Content™ I had to cut for time. Fear not, Magna Graecia will get the spotlight it deserves in another video. -B

@jamessiriuspotter9598

2 жыл бұрын

And it did.

@blackvoyd7768

2 жыл бұрын

Could you do videos on one of these mythologies 1)Ramayan 2)Hanuman 3)Ganesha You choose.

@readsomebooks666

2 жыл бұрын

Do Hungary.

@boyscouts83712

2 жыл бұрын

Please do a video on Wallachia, home to Count Dracula

@amazon8489

2 жыл бұрын

Sad

"Big mess, lots of stabbing." --Blue's greatest contribution to historical scholarship.

@mcintoshpc

2 жыл бұрын

Counterpoint: “Fighting, bleeuleeeh”

@Andri474

2 жыл бұрын

This sounds like most of history.

@arielsea9087

10 ай бұрын

@@Andri474 For all countries. One way or another. Lol

I love the how European history has so many moments of 'Surprise! Normans!'

@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347

2 жыл бұрын

Nobody expects the Norman Conquerors!

@Alias_Anybody

2 жыл бұрын

Only if there are rivers though. It's always funny to see how the Vikings were basically everywhere except for the Alps because those rivers flow to the Black Sea.

@t40xd

2 жыл бұрын

It was Walpole

@Arrek8585

2 жыл бұрын

@@Alias_Anybody To be fair by the time the Vikings reached the Black Sea the Alps were an afterthought compared to the Byzantines

@jahajesper

2 жыл бұрын

one of the weirdest exports from scandinavia

The most Strategic triangle in the whole world!

@drilltotheheavens1695

2 жыл бұрын

Even more than Triangle Strategy from Square Enix.

@zer0w0lf94

2 жыл бұрын

@@drilltotheheavens1695 Beat me to the punch.

@Frost-bc7kz

2 жыл бұрын

Heard about egypt?

@amiscellaneoushuman3516

2 жыл бұрын

@@Frost-bc7kz Egypt isn't a triangle

@zenebean

2 жыл бұрын

The number of times I hear something along the lines of "they decided to join the war in Sicily" in classical documentaries... everyone wants that triangle

As a Sicilian I appreciate the empathy displayed about how much we are looked down upon by the people of northern Italy

@trevorjohnston777

2 жыл бұрын

Sicily has a 48.3% unemployment rate and you wonder why us Northerners are sick of paying your bills.

@trevorjohnston777

2 жыл бұрын

And you people take all our money yet call us "polentoni" whenever you get the chance. Even though we bankroll your lifestyle, absolutely no respect.

@avacurtis7140

2 жыл бұрын

@@trevorjohnston777 You can talk about respect when you "respect" our "lifestyle". I don't pretend to know a lot about my family's home country's politics, but you stereotyping my culture and looking down your nose at us is supercilious and rude

@lenase7396

2 жыл бұрын

@@trevorjohnston777 Guess what, I had no idea you paid my bills. LOL.

@wildestdreams4012

2 жыл бұрын

@@trevorjohnston777 As a non-Italian I regret breathing the same air as you.

Sicily is the guy in the Mediterranean that has literally seen everything.

@jrodriguez1374

2 жыл бұрын

Seriously! Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Spaniards, Islam, etc

@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347

2 жыл бұрын

@@jrodriguez1374 Don’t forget the Normans!

@erectilereptile7383

2 жыл бұрын

@@jrodriguez1374 carthaginians and Phoenicians are the same, Carthaginians were just the offshoot of Phoenicians who settled in the central Mediterranean (in Tunisia and surrounding areas)

@jrodriguez1374

2 жыл бұрын

@@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347 of course :3

@jrodriguez1374

2 жыл бұрын

@@erectilereptile7383 idk... I think they were different enough to classify them as their own thing. I mean, using what you said we could classify the Romans as an offshoot of Greeks, or Normans as an offshoot of Gauls. And if that's the case why separate them at all?

Blue: *Gets excited* Me: Oh he must’ve found another multicultural, multi ethnic, religiously tolerant home for intellectuals and artists somewhere new which promptly fell apart when it was taken over by intolerant people.

@thegamedanalyst2169

2 жыл бұрын

Wait a couple years and he could do one on America

@tyler1107

2 жыл бұрын

It’s an interesting concept. Cultural hegemony has benefit that it’s more orderly and streamlined, cultural diversity has the benefit that it’s more creative and intellectual. While we can bash people for rejecting diversity, it can and often does make sense from the perspective of the rulers. However it similarly makes sense to have the cultures merge into one Voltron culture. However, that takes a lot of time. If you’re going through unsteady times, waiting for cultural osmosis is a nonstarter. While I think most would say that diversity is better, it may not always be practical. Or that’s my interpretation. P.s. When I say cultural osmosis, I mean cultures melting together and rubbing off on one another to the point where they are substantially similar rather than one culture adopting a few aspects of another culture, then demanding that people of the other culture conform.

@MyPisceanNature

2 жыл бұрын

History shows, yet again, that multiculturalism, and working together builds a great society, and the opposite does, well, the opposite.

@antonioscendrategattico2302

2 жыл бұрын

@@tyler1107 From the perspective of the rulers, yeah, it's true that it's a more certain path to retaining power. It's not a good thing, but it IS undeniable that it's easier to STAY king when there isn't a lot of diversity in your population, and people can't imagine a better way to live.

@RK-cj4oc

2 жыл бұрын

@@MyPisceanNature History shows that countries with 1 dominant culture do better than multicultural countries mate.

"The real trouble with mercenaries isn't so much that you have to pay them to fight...it's that, unless you're VERY lucky, you'll have to pay them again, to stop."

@WhitzWolf92

2 жыл бұрын

Rule of Acquisition #34: War is good for business. Rule of Acquisition #35: Peace is good for business.

@VinnieG-

Ай бұрын

also they'll run at the first sign they are losing, or when offered more money by the opposite side, or when seeing a better opportunity to be seized.

@pumpkin91ful

28 күн бұрын

Apart if they are swiss

Fun fact that is easily overlooked: Naples liberated herself from fascist and nazist government during the Quattro giornate di Napoli. The allies just had to walk in unharmed cause the Germans had already fled from the city

@aisir3725

2 жыл бұрын

Ah, as kickass as Yugoslav partisans

@jamesharding3459

2 жыл бұрын

@@aisir3725 The Italian resistance gets overlooked, but I would NOT want to be the Jerry or Fritz trying to fight them, because I like being alive.

@josefstrauss9017

2 жыл бұрын

@@jamesharding3459 if the partisans are as Bad as the Italian army (wich got disarmed by the germans in a matter of days) than i think the "jerry“ wouldnt be that scared at all.

@jamesharding3459

2 жыл бұрын

@@josefstrauss9017 Try "Almost as good as the Yugoslavians".

@Daughterofminerva

2 жыл бұрын

@@josefstrauss9017 guerilla isn't like regular army. The partisans fought and sabotaged the nazis a lot. We didn't stay idle.

My history teacher plays your videos in class. I’m officially beyond nerd trash.

@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347

2 жыл бұрын

I wish my History Teacher did this

@luckneh5330

2 жыл бұрын

My History teacher last year, I told her at the start of the year, "you should look up Overly Sarcastic Productions!" and she played the video about Rome at the end of the year. Goal: achieved.

@tempomorekicksmorechicks3513

2 жыл бұрын

@@luckneh5330 My teacher played the Alexandria video and I was like “HEY I KNOW THESE GUYS”

@luckneh5330

2 жыл бұрын

@@tempomorekicksmorechicks3513 That's actually awesome LOL. It's always nice when a teacher always puts up something that you recommended to them

@Obi-Wan_Kenobi

2 жыл бұрын

I feel like the trifecta of funny KZread channels your teacher shows you in class is made up of Crash Course, Overly Sarcastic Productions, and CGP Grey.

“Big mess, lots of stabbing” “Fighting…. Blergegrgedh” “Wild times, way off topic” I love Blue’s way of avoiding the many many wars that happened throughout history

@keepersteamkprs1022

2 жыл бұрын

From a Sicilian Normann this is terrible, the Wars were the best part of my history

Blue: “Nerf the damn Normans” History.exe: “We’ve heard your complaints. In update 11.94 Normans will be nerfed culturally by 50% and militarily by 25%”

@albertamalachi3560

2 жыл бұрын

This sounds like something from a Crusader Kings or Europa Universalis patch note.

@novelseeker4410

2 жыл бұрын

@@albertamalachi3560 since it’s 1194, it’ll most likely be Crusader Kings.

@davidpineda9160

2 ай бұрын

AOE2 devs be like

@Astrydr

15 күн бұрын

What does this even mean

I see the Normans took a page from Palpatine's book of technically fighting on both sides of a war to ultimately consolidate power and take over everything. It's a pretty effective book, I don't know why more people haven't read it.

@Gaswafers

2 жыл бұрын

In finance, that's called a hedge fund.

@arutka2000

2 жыл бұрын

Hello there

@francescapatti2934

2 жыл бұрын

They haven't read it because it's a sith book and therefore not a story the Jedi would tell you.

@mr.e9502

2 жыл бұрын

The Normans have proceeded to execute Order 60 Sith.

@AlfredEiji

2 жыл бұрын

Because it’s awfully tricky to get the trust of both sides at the same time.

Sicilian history seems like the most ambitious crossover event that I’ve never heard of. I’m mildly upset about this now, thanks Blue!

@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347

2 жыл бұрын

But now you have!

@MyPisceanNature

2 жыл бұрын

History is one long depressing story of "almost there...."

@briannadragonrider

2 жыл бұрын

I mourn Roger II and I didn't even know he existed until this video.

@flamingpi2245

2 жыл бұрын

@@MyPisceanNature Case and point: We almost stopped climate change in the 1980s, just like we’ve solved acid rain and the ozone layer hole Back then a mild carbon tax and financial Incentive and some investment would’ve solved it But we didn’t stop climate change We knew everything we know now back then forty years ago, but now it’s been politicized and partisanized and politics has been seriously messed up So now we’ve wasted forty years doing basically nothing as emissions increase with only a 1 in 20 chance of actually limiting the amount of warming to the Paris accord’s goal And it’s all thanks to Oil company lobbyists and Ronald Reagan

@auctoris1536

2 жыл бұрын

May I also interest you in a Malta

How blue interprets Norman rule: "Culture is Harmonic" How Normans ruled: "I swear by Jesus carrying Yggdrasil, if you people dont get along Hrothga- i mean Henry "Slicer" the 3rd here will axe you so hard that the grandchild of your second nephew twice removed will feel it!"

@briannadragonrider

2 жыл бұрын

"YOU WILL ACCEPT AND CELEBRATE YOUR DIFFERENCES OR SO HELP ME-!"

@ANDELE3025

2 жыл бұрын

@@lottiesearle3393 No no, that would be neo communists and sockjust parasites. "Henry" and "Ralf" only care that you get along with others, it doesn't matter if youre all as white as the wings of valkyr- i mean angels or as diverse as the 80 heraldries across the "borrowed" shields used by them and their buddies.

@wildfire9280

2 жыл бұрын

@@ANDELE3025 oh boy I love this tangent!

So this is how it feels when Blue talks about where you live. I really wish more people from here had as much interest in our history as you do. God, i never felt so patriotic.

@FrostBeardy

2 жыл бұрын

now im jealous, he's hasn't done netherlands yet. But sicily is still pretty cool

@ugofantozzi3267

2 жыл бұрын

I just moved out from Sicily, this video made all the nostalgia come back :(

@ecurewitz

2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if Blue can talk about central Massachusetts

@jasonreed7522

2 жыл бұрын

The closest i got was when he did the Iroquois, but as a person of welsh/dutch ancestry its more of a shared land pride.

@francescapatti2934

2 жыл бұрын

Same but honestly I feel like nowadays there isn't much to be proud of aside from the aesthetic beauty of Sicily and our food. Idk Sicily could do much better if it wasn't so utterly corrupt.

The 3 absolutes of history "No one expects the Spanish inquisition" "Surprise it's the Normans" And "the Mongols are the exception"

@spencersonnefeld

2 жыл бұрын

So the Mongols expect the Spanish Inquisition?

@kevinhixson1586

2 жыл бұрын

@@spencersonnefeld YES.

@elonbezos5270

2 жыл бұрын

@@spencersonnefeld Actually the you'd have to bee an absolute buffoon to be surprised by the Spanish inquisition. They literary put a month long notice before they came to you. Even the mongols are no exception to this. Or maybe they are and they aren't surprised by the Normans I don't know enough to give a crap.

@elonbezos5270

2 жыл бұрын

@@spencersonnefeld Which is ironic considering how much time I spent on writing this comment.

@wankawanka3053

2 жыл бұрын

They weren't an exception in Vietnam 🤣

As a Sicilian I'm very glad you made this video, a lot of don't know ho much history, culture and art Sicily has. Most people know Sicily only because of Mafia :(

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

own a greco sicilian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

I live in Sicily, I was born here in the capital and I grew up here with my father telling me the hidden stories of the city and visiting some of the most beautiful but hidden places. I always thought that this is the city of secrets, where many people who live here don't know this places and don't know their history. And I always wondered why it was like this. But now it's more clear. Thank you, Blue!

@Jumpoable

2 жыл бұрын

Please share those secrets with someone or write them down before they are lost forever! Prego.

@deannafromdablock1994

2 жыл бұрын

So cool take my on a tour! I need to know where I came from since my grandparents never got to take me back!

@luigi1606

Жыл бұрын

I'm from Apulia and I know all the history behind the buildings in my city :)

@aryansigrid

Жыл бұрын

@@deannafromdablock1994 Same here!

@downsouthscrewston5936

4 ай бұрын

My great grandfather dad and mom came from sicily and I have the last name pepitone use to me pipitone and always been fascinated and wish 1 day I can vist I never meet another person than my family with my last name or another Sicilian

Sicilly: a land so far in the background of Europe that even Blue spends a third of this video talking about other countries doing things somewhere else.

@andrewhopkins886

2 жыл бұрын

I get the impression that's also Scandinavia past maybe the 11th century. Once everyone else got their shit together and raiding became less lucrative, I swear they basically fell off the map, baring Sweden for awhile. To the point that when I heard that Britain bothered to raid Copenhagen... twice, in the Napoleonic wars I was surprised they were that relevant.

@chrissmith3587

2 жыл бұрын

@@andrewhopkins886 Denmark is actually pretty strategic as you can use it to block much of the trade from a lot of Eastern Europe

@andrewhopkins886

2 жыл бұрын

@@chrissmith3587 True. At the time I didn't really appreciate how important trade was to countries but yeah, the denmark straight is a choke point of immense proportions if you are on the far side. I just didn't understand that. Though as a side-note I thought I'd just point out that the brits attacked to keep the danish fleet from supporting napoleon (From what I've heard, take it with a side of salt). Which is intriguing, given that a country as small as denmark apparently had a fleet powerful enough to give the british empire pause.

@chrissmith3587

2 жыл бұрын

@@andrewhopkins886 if you look at the ships surrendered and then the numbers at battles at Trafalgar, it is not an insignificant amount Additionally it was a very well located fleet as it was able to effectively control any maritime trade

@petertaylor4980

Жыл бұрын

@@andrewhopkins886, do you know what Wellesley''s horse was called? Hint: it's related to your comment.

Sicily is truly a gem, the most diverse region of Italy, definitely a treat! 🇮🇹

@rufus2o

7 ай бұрын

Absolutely true! It's different from other Italian regions

As a Sicilian American, I thank you for giving my ancestors' history and culture a proper overview. This is what a history is supposed to be. I've heard enough poopooing pity for my island for one lifetime-- it's nice to finally hear what's really going on at the bottom of the boot.

As a person of Sicilian ancestry who often visits Sicily I am really happy that you made this Thank you blue

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

own a greco sicilian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

I am Sicilian and wanted to say thank you for putting this historical video together. It’s very well done and much appreciated.

As a fan from Sicily this is really cool! I had the luck of having an art teacher in middle school that loved Palermo architecture and we even did a few tour of the city discussing the mix of norman arab and baroque style. I really wish that they would treat the monuments better but the only thing that i can say it's that they are... trying (still a lot of work to do but in the last few years (pre-covid) they created some events around palermo center)

@mygetawayart

2 жыл бұрын

the state of our monuments is partially attributed to Mafia. They suck large sums of money that should be reserved for the public use, they bribe politicians, they maintain the status quo. They adapt when we try to root them out and find other, scummier ways to maintain their wealth. Like Tomasi di Lampedusa said, adapt to change in order to not change at all.

@Jumpoable

2 жыл бұрын

I was at the art biennale & had a wonderful tour walking around Palermo. Stunning architecture & stories. Our guide ended dropping us at a square drinking with university students.

YEEEEESSSSSSSS. THIS IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER. Favourite cultural/political entity of the mediterranean.

@CleopatraKing

2 жыл бұрын

a fellow oct 1st kid!

Giuseppe Garibaldi deserves a video on his own. The man fought and did revolutions in at least 2 continents

@mygetawayart

2 жыл бұрын

tbh he should make a video on the Italian Risorgimento, or the three wars of unification. It involved a lot of fighting, uniting, conniving and help from foreign countries to be one nation.

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

@@mygetawayart own a greco sicilian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

Cool video but I don't like how you skipped over ancient Sicily; I understand that the videos are oversimplified but the strugle between Greeks and Carthagenians is such an interesting topic!

@Redrally

2 жыл бұрын

Own video?

@Jumpoable

2 жыл бұрын

I think the Magna Graecia video is coming up.

You missed an important note: who was the genius who discovered that pistacchio is a dessert nut? This person deserves to be honored in our history.

The norman kingdom of Sicily is by far my favorite part of medieval history. Glad to see more of it on the channel!

im currently writing my masters thesis on the cultural mashup that was sicily and i love seing my baby getting some love on this channel

@youngbloodbanana3376

2 жыл бұрын

You rule over a galaxy why are you righting a master thesis

The most important words... "Built on the quintessentially Normand idea that Culture is Harmonic, it gets exponentially more beautiful when combined and transformed into something that each culture could never have been on it own." Beautifully said❤️

@_kalia

11 ай бұрын

11c. Britain blinking in confusion.

“And then the NORMANS happened.” And there was much rejoicing

@thexalon

2 жыл бұрын

yaaaaay

FINALLY, AS A NEAPOLITAN I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO SINCE LITERALLY THE INCEPTION OF THIS CHANNEL.

@ecurewitz

2 жыл бұрын

well, it did focus heavily on Sicily, but thenagain, the video was titles Sicily. I would like to see one that focuses heavily on Naples (though I am not one bit Neopolitan or even Italian for that matter)

@Myname-cb9ru

2 жыл бұрын

@@ecurewitz same, although I do have roots in Sicily so egh, il take it

finally someone who takes the history of my region outside of Italy. You did a good job

Love the unique blend of cultures and ethnicities that is Southern Italy and Sicily. Really demonstrates how interesting the Mediterranean world is

@esti-od1mz

Жыл бұрын

We are not a "blend". We have our own identity, with some foreign influences. As every other people in the world

As a guy born and raised in this cursed island I thank your for this short but meaningful overview.

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

own a greco sicilian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

I literally never knew Muslims played such a big part in Southern Italian history. The fact that members of the court knew Arabic absolutely blows my mind it looks like another key location (along with Spain and Turkey/South East Europe) where Muslims played a key role in developing European culture, science, and politics. On a totally unrelated note, it looks like the Mafia helped end World War II and that's pretty awesome!

@Hyperversum3

2 жыл бұрын

It's a mostly inflated story that of Mafia role in WW2. I can' provide any source right now, but being an Italian this story came out at school and was swiftly disproven. If it had any role, it was in reducing the amount of control Nazis had when shit already hit the fan. If anything, WW2 was a big source of the power the various italian criminal organizations had in the following decades as the new italian government and even the allies were happy to support Cosca if this meant reducing the mess they left behind while focusing on larger issues. The specific details depend on the area but... well, the Fascist Italy system heavily depended on being fine for the capitalists overlords of some areas, it being in contact with Mafia groups was likely to begin with, and tjey just left when shit hit the fan in 1943.

@maggielynn7771

2 жыл бұрын

iirc, the Mafia (Jewish factions as well as Italian-American factions) helped in the US as well with protecting military ships at harbor in NYC, and breaking up fascist/pro-Nazi rallies that the police couldnt legally stop from happening. There is one particularly entertaining story of an influential Jewish mafia boss by the name of Meyer Lansky who talked openly about "roughing up" attendees at a Fascist rally, at the request of NYC police. Fun times.

@OverlySarcasticProductions

2 жыл бұрын

You could say it's... A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one

@arutka2000

2 жыл бұрын

@@OverlySarcasticProductions Hello there

@valkyriedarkwar3505

2 жыл бұрын

@@arutka2000 Is the phrasing there because of who started this comment chain, or just the most delightful of coincidences?

Icky world war two stuff I'm pretty sure Blue describes most history beyond the bizantines as icky

@jordan5012

2 жыл бұрын

Only post Byzantine history that is not icky is the Ottomans 😂.

@nickmalachai2227

2 жыл бұрын

He likes the Ottomans as a historical thing, and that's directly post-Byzantine

@tristansoendergaard7867

2 жыл бұрын

Ick

@trla6505

2 жыл бұрын

Humankind peak with The serrenisima Republic remember

@calebhughes975

2 жыл бұрын

There's a lot less pretty domes after the Byzantines, what do you expect?

My favorite island. Every time I have a week or two to explore something, I find a new and unexpected corner. Not mentioned here are the ancient cultures which came before the Greeks. There's Erice, a spectacular fortified town on a steep rock on the West Coast with mysterious Pre-Greek inscriptions which had been a famous tourist destination with a Venus cult during Roman times.

A book I would advice you is "The Leopard" of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. There is an entire part of the book where one of the protagonists pratically gives an entire discourse on how sicilian history and italian history is pratically is a history of being dominated. And after all it's a very good book.

@lylaburmeister8076

2 жыл бұрын

I read that book for school, and I absolutely loved it. That was one of the benefits of having a language teacher who is also history teacher.

@det.bullock4461

2 жыл бұрын

Fun fact: the original title is "Il Gattopardo" which might be translated as "The Serval" or "The Ocelot" but for some reason they decided to use "The Leopard" instead.

@FlaviusBelisarius-ck6uv

2 жыл бұрын

I especially loved how he described Sicily as the “America of Antiquity” because of all the cultural and racial intermixing on the island.

@ominosentenzioso5100

2 жыл бұрын

@@FlaviusBelisarius-ck6uv Personally I would not loved that, considering all the invasions and occupations they got subjected to form that genetic pool : P

@jl9211

2 жыл бұрын

@@FlaviusBelisarius-ck6uv Sicilians aren't genetically different from other italians. This is an anglosphere myth

My family is from Sicily, my great grandfather came over in the early 1900s. My dad says I have like 20 cousins who still live in Sicily. Glad to hear more about where my family comes from thank you blue.

Fun fact: the Sicilian language is sometimes closer to Spanish than to today's Italian. For example, the word "work" (in Italian "lavorare") in Sicilian is pronounced "travagghiare" (in Spanish "trabajar").

@asinglebraincell6584

3 ай бұрын

Simana and semana instead of italian settimana

Capela palatina is the most beautiful church I’ve ever been to, the mosaics are just jaw dropping

I'm from the Aghlabids and my great great grandfather, who was around 1910 or something, was named "Sicilian" in Arabic. My clan still boasts about ruling Sicily and Tunisia, despite living in nomadic anti-state societies for 900 years after.

@esti-od1mz

2 жыл бұрын

I've heard that many Tunisians have somehow italic ancestry, so maybe you have a degree of sicilian genes, who knows

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

own a greco sicilian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

I just realized that I'm learning so much more from 15 minute videos than I possibly could have from a formal history class. I think that is because of the wonderfully inviting blend of humor, earnestness, and snark to be found here.

I love how you used the architecture of different periods as a metaphor for the culture of the time. I definitely want to visit those beautiful buildings

Sicily is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I've been twice and cannot wait to return and explore more of the island. If you like red wine you ought to try Frappato, in general I almost always prefer Italian and Sicilian reds but that particular grape is my absolute favourite

I’m from Calabria and I greatly appreciate this video. It’s fantastic knowing that someone else out there knows and appreciates our culture . If you take any advice I suggest to make a video about grecanic, (also known as griko or Calabrian Greek), it’s a linguistic minority in Calabria descending directly from Ancient Greek, like some sort of dialect.

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

own a greco sicilian calabrian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

@Chloe-hu9tf

3 ай бұрын

Id also appreaciate. Much love to the greeks of Calabria♥ The Griko language is unique! It musy be pereserved I wish UNESKO and the EU to take action .

Can you make more Southern Italian videos? I feel like most Italian Americans come from Southern Italy, so it would be cool to hear more of our history! Great videos and thanks!

@battlepans1927

9 ай бұрын

This!

Blue, buddy, you can't just drop "So the Allies worked with the Mafia against the Fascists" and then zoom straight to the ending! That sounds cool as hell! And by cool I mean fascinating and also probably super depressing and extremely shady. My apologies everyone, I should have stated that upfront.

@laurenkirby97

2 жыл бұрын

The story of how that happened is quite interesting too, though it's more ridiculous politics and shenanigans of the sort than historical events.

@staC-wh6ik

2 жыл бұрын

They allowed freedom to Lucky Luciano (who was in jail) if his mob managed to avoid any sabotage of US ships in the NY harbor and they also asked him for advice on the landing area and stuff like that.

@unlucky46th

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it's super cool how post war the CIA combined with the Mafia for illegal drug trades while helping in the years of lead by killing pesky anti-mafia activists and politicians for being communist. Super cool, thanks America. You guys murdered the future of my country for the sake of fascists and drug money and you laugh about it.

@Camaleonte9087

2 жыл бұрын

Weeell not so much, as an Italian

@matteobertotti

2 жыл бұрын

@@unlucky46th Yeah, he actually made a really good video, but I deeply distaste the notion for which "(Italian) fascists are bad, so even the actual good stuff they did is to be overlooked". Also, Mussolini was the only European leader who actually liked the Arab world, he proclaimed himself "Sword of Islam" and actively encouraged Muslim culture. It could have been mentioned, given that he covered the prosperity of the Norman kingdom. But Mussolini lost the war, so he's always bad.

You are literally my favourite youtubers TvT "Icky world war two stuff" that had me dying XD

The city grid shot at 9:48 will haunt my dreams. That is otherworldly.

My parents were stationed in Napoli for 3 years. They loved it and thank you for acknowledging the way southern Italy is criminally underrated

I think we need to start a petition to get blue to play Crusader Kings 3. I'm... interested to see what in Odin's beard he'll do.

@marcorizzoni9766

2 жыл бұрын

Probably the same that everyone does: start a game aiming to a serious play and ending as an incestuous chinese giant ruling in Sri Lanka that has just made a deviant cannibal become the new pope.

@melancholicminerva6370

2 жыл бұрын

@@marcorizzoni9766 That sounds both oddly specific and something that blue would do.

Amazing and totally fascinating! You have condensed so much valuable information into this video and the visuals really make it clear what was going on in which period. Gold medal standard! Bravissimo!!

Can you talk about Sardinian history in one of your videos in the future? I am a Sardinian guy so I'm very proud of my island, that has also an interesting history, so please do a video about sardinia, if you want to do a video first about Naples or other italian cities/areas ok, I can wait, but pleaaaaase🙏🙏🙏

I visited Palermo pre-COVID, and he really understates how amazing the chapel is! Also as probably the first person in my family to go back in a century, I hate how little of the history and culture my great-grandparents passed down (aside from making cuccudatti). They left, and we literally don't know if they had anyone still there. There's so much just there I had to take a picture and go research later, like the rebellion right before the unification and the Plaza of the Thirteen Victims, which had a monument that's now sitting on the side and the Anti-Mafia monument is in the center now. Someday I'll make it back for a longer trip, and go see more outside the city not as a broke af student anymore, and maybe to my family's hometowns (Vicari and Palazzo Adriano) finally.

I really appreciate these history videos you make which bring light to little known yet important historical facts that deserve to be remembered

Thank you so much for making this video! My family is South Italian (specifically Apulian) and I’ve been longing for more discussions about history in the region. I geeked out the entire video especially with the Norman Section! 🥰😄

mayonnaise

@Ballsadinfinity

2 жыл бұрын

Wwat

@katharinaschueller6346

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah :( .

@kusa785

2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful

@tempomorekicksmorechicks3513

2 жыл бұрын

:_( Art

@mercuryknows4505

2 жыл бұрын

i agree

I love that you made this video. I am from Sicily and I believe we have the best history and it rarely gets put on display. Thank you!

@landon2714

2 жыл бұрын

@Sicilianuwhy not?

@landon2714

2 жыл бұрын

@Sicilianu I was born and live in Corleone ahahahha 😅😂😂

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

@@landon2714 own a greco sicilian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

@theodoruspantelides8661

2 жыл бұрын

@Sicilianu own a greco sicilian friendship discord server if you want to join send me your account

Living here in northern Italy, I never got the "big picture" of how the south went into decline. This very entertaining video was stunning. Thanks for your work.

@Hikaeme-od3zq

2 жыл бұрын

Check out the "questione meridionale".

My first step mother was Sicilian from Giardini Naxos. When I went there it felt like home in Greece and the people were so friendly and the food was the best! I looked at Etna in awe , and Taormina up above is a miracle on its own! Unfortunately I only visited the East coast of Sicily from Messina south to Giarre. And we experienced a dancing night up in one of the inland villages on the hills west of Naxos . Remarkable culture ! I love Sicily!

Let’s be honest: Anything in History were people still remember being alive when it happened it’s kinda icky.

@AxxLAfriku

2 жыл бұрын

SUPRISE! I am the funniest YTer evah!!!! Just kidding, it was no surprise. Everybody knew already. HAHAHHAHA!!!! That was an amazing joke (it was real talk though). WAWAWAWAWA!!!! Good afternoon, dear eri

@cam4636

2 жыл бұрын

I hate remembering

@jasonreed7522

2 жыл бұрын

I find it less icky (as in uninteresting) and more that it quickly becomes political so everything after WWII can quickly become an uncomfortable conversation. (Or pointless screaming, arguing is never productive especially on the internet)

@syro33

2 жыл бұрын

@@jasonreed7522 I'd agree with both of these, personally. The politics isn't fun, and more recent events carry... More impact I guess? Since they're less removed from the present.

blue, let's be honest here, we both know we'd all sit through you waxing philosophic about southern italy for an entire hour.

I've visited most of the places you've shown on this video many times, they're very beautiful! Thanks for this video from a Sicilian still living in Sicily!

Again, superb content, this channel continues to be my favorite on KZread, and I can't tell enough people about it

Finally I've been waiting for this!!

I loved Sicily when I went. Of course I was deployed in the Navy at the time, but it was still lovely.

GRAZIE MILLE for this! Visited Sicily & the Aeolian Islands 3 summers ago & was fascinated by the natural beauty as well as the architectural marvels, & the many layers to their history & culture. Had an amazing guide in Palermo who took us barhopping & explained modern city as well as its ancient roots. When I tried to look into its ancient history, I found that there wasn't much in-depth stuff about ancient Carthaginian, Greek & Norman rule & just got some touristy śhīt (probably a lot more info available in Italian). I haven't even finished watching this video yet but I know you guys can deliver so thank you in advance!!!!! LOL.

I just learn so much when watching blue and red IN A NOT boring way like thank you so much for allthis really helps me get the "history" yearning i have without actually having to dig thru many books

"Culture is harmonic" is such a beautiful way of phrasing it, and honestly just makes me all the more sad about the whole Sicily situation. Thank you for the new phrase though!

The Sicilians probably expected the Normans to be blasting Powerwolf when they took over, instead they were playing "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

Thank you for making this. I've been hoping you'd cover Sicily, as your always, always, ALWAYs thorough , and usually find some way to make even the miserable bits of our collective history somehow entertaining. :) Thanks again.

Dang, this channel is great. Thanks for the fun and accurate surveys of Mediterranean history.

The fact I can understand what Blue is saying without truly knowing what he's saying.

Thx Blue, that's a cool spotlight on the south and as a southerner myself I can say that even here this part of history is severly overshadow, I mean it's not that we are unaware of it, it's just that this feels like the boring unimportant part of local history no one actually cares about outside here, I mean I still find the _rest_ of Italian and european history much more interesting and important, but it's nice not to forget this part P.s As for the Mafia bit which surprised many... weeeell you guys should rethink the unblemished understanding you have of the Americans in war, they debatably aren't the spotless heroes of Europe and definitely not of any other place, just think that the saying in Naples went like "adda venì Baffone": Big Mustache (Stalin) will come and fix the situation

been loving the art on all these

Great writing, ample information and plenty jokes, loved it, liked and subscribed!

It has occurred to me that most times a state chooses to practice tolerance for the differences amount their subjects it usually spars some kind of golden age for that state which usually results in a lot of new ideas. So, in short, if humans had practiced more tolerance throughout history we could likely more advanced than we are now.

@jl9211

2 жыл бұрын

More like they always collapse from infighting(roma, byzantines, any islamic empire). Sicily kind of worked because the "arabs" and "greeks" were just orthodox and muslim italians, and that came to an end too.

@ASWE15

2 жыл бұрын

@@jl9211 well every country or empire eventually fall Bad argument you have there

@jl9211

2 жыл бұрын

@@ASWE15 Norman Sicily didn't "fall", it became part of the HRE through a marriage. Point is that people discussing historical Sicily regularly mix up ethnicity and religion.

Some timestamps for places: 6:15 - I cannot confirm if all the pictures from before are from the Chapel in the Palazzo Reale (I didn't see it on my last trip - but next time). I do think one or two ARE of the Duomo di Monreale though. It's a small town above Palermo with an amazing view and a beautiful Church! The picture at 6:16 shows the courtyard of the adjacent monastery. 9:46 - That's Noto, south and inlands of Syracuse. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful city I've ever seen. No exaggeration. Nothing else can compete with it. 10:00 - That's the Duomo del Catania! It actually also incorporates some Norman architecture in the back, but yeah, it's mostly baroque. For a baroque church, it is very nice and light though. It's quaint. I'd be super stoked to see a longer version of this some day - Maybe actually focusing on the seperate fates of parts of the mezzogiorno? The island, Calabria, Puglia, Campania etc. Sicilians do feel a strong sense of uniqueness still. I'm glad you mentioned the differences between South and North in general - My shirt that makes use of the word "Terroni" (an insult towards South Italians in reference to their agricultural culture) shows that well. And no worries, it's reclaiming the word and from an all-things-Sicily shop in Palermo :P And thanks for the little acknowledgement of Fritz II. of the Staufer Dynasty. I can't help it, I do like the dude a lot when I look at his HRE Career. I definitely plan to look more into him in the future. Grazie per leggere

@SimoLInk1698

2 жыл бұрын

Fritz 2 was definetely one of the better leaders we got for a while. Probably until now.

@ieatbananaskins7926

2 жыл бұрын

Ok as an Irishman that suddenly really wants to visit; what cool places would you recommend - obviously include the cool architecture but save some spaces for my boring non nerdy friends

@SarahWolverine

2 жыл бұрын

@@ieatbananaskins7926 First of all, I'd say that Sicily is also a great island to visit because I think it and Ireland got a lot in common. (Aside from the weather LOL). Out of the places I know, I'd definitely recc Taormina. You could use Giardini Naxos as homebase if your friends are looking more for a beach holiday, since it's big on that kind of tourism AND Taurmina & the Etna are in spitting distance. (Never been to Giardini Naxos tho). Taurmina is a very beautiful, old little town atop a steep mountain right at the ocean. The Ancient Greek Theater is a side to behold and you can do lots of strolling around in its tight little alleys and more open piazze. Noto. But probably go really early or late and probably not in the middle of the summer (as me and my family did), because the humid heat was SO BAD. Being inlands means no sea breeze. But do go see it - I meant it when I said it's the most beautiful city I've ever laid eyes on. Catania has been a while (I'll probably go there next after I maybe gave Naples a second shake via semester abroad), but it is a very beautiful city. Lots and lots to see and do there as well - As East South Sicily's center, it's very lively and diverse. Baroque grandeur galore, too! (Even if not as uniform and perfect as Noto). And you can take a look at one of the big effing Staufer castles. It used to be at the port, but the volcanic erruption in the 17th century added so much land to the (now ruined) city that it's now inside of it. If you wanna hang but have great opportunity for culture, I'd say go Syracuse. Siracusa has an archaeological park, a puppet museum (I sadly, sadly haven't gotten around to visit on any of my trips yet), a papyrus museum and a very impressive archaeological museum. Ortigia, the island that houses the ancient city center and is connected to mainland syracuse by large bridges, is the perfect place to spend your evenings. Modica - Actually never been there, can't give you any intel, but it's chocolate is the pride of Sicily. Palermo - Definitely a sight to see and worth its capital status. Go check out the Falcone e Borsellino Murial at the port (you won't miss it) and definitely go see the No Mafia Memorial. The catacombs of the Porta d'Ossuna are a good place to spend half an hour before you check out the Palazzo Reale and la Cattedrale. Sadly, the Catacombi dei Cappuccini closed due to Covid while I was there but I WILL come back and I WILL wage psychological warfare on myself by walking among all those bones and mummies. Seriously tho, it sounds pretty neat, go there for meee. And check out some Normanno-Arabo churches. I'd actually recc San Cataldo over San Giovanni degli Eremiti - although the latter has a very pretty courtyard. You can always have a stroll through Kalsa or any adjacent area more to the west of city for a good time at night. And visit Monreale! It's a good daytrip activity. That's my limited "What to see in Sicily" guide. I also hope that one day (maybe during one of the next spring breaks) I'll make it to Ireland.

@ieatbananaskins7926

2 жыл бұрын

@@SarahWolverine thanks much! If you visit Ireland, I would recommend seeing the West - travel the Wild Atlantic Way, there is no bigger pity than going to Ireland and never leaving Dublin, venture to the giants causeway up north too If you're interested in sport you should definitely check out Hurling - fastest field game on earth and the final is played in Europe's third largest stadium (I'm from the southernmost region of Ireland, weather is still very mild but at least I'm not unfortunate enough to have a Dublin accent ;))

@cillianocathasaigh8376

2 жыл бұрын

@@ieatbananaskins7926 jaysus do u really. That’s a bit unhygienic 😂😂😂

I'm so happy you did a video about Sicily! As a Sicilian, it was really fun to watch this and nod at all the things I knew and go "hey that's the church where I worked as a tourist guide once!" or "i sat there to read the other day!"

I just found your channel and I love it! The topics you cover are so interesting, you have a great depth of knowledge and I love your covers at the end of the videos. Good stuff man :)

I love that so much of Southern Italy was multicultural and that the environment of actual religious tolerance and freedom allowed for some great thriving and amazing architecture.

@daniele7989

2 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you do. When a northerner says I'm not really Italian I'm inclined to agree with them

@esti-od1mz

2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, the "multicultural period" was very short: after the Norman rule, the Christians expelled the remaining muslims

@Jumpoable

2 жыл бұрын

@@daniele7989 LOLOLOL

@esti-od1mz

2 жыл бұрын

@@daniele7989 nah, in many ways, we are more italians than them. Our languages are more similar to what Dante spoke, and we have to remember that the first Area that was called Italy was alongside the Strait of Messina. But, in the end we are all italians, I think...

@phillipholland6795

2 жыл бұрын

@@esti-od1mz You're in denial. There was plenty of intermixing and influence you can still see to this day in most of Southern Europe, including Sicily. Some of them look like actual Arabs even now!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Edit: "Culture is harmonic" is such a lovely phrase...

best quick wrap of Sicilian history among many. thank you.

I got interested by your malta video and did my own research on Sicily because it was a Mediterranean island similar to Malta. I went from around the Phoenicians to the late 15th century and here you are making a video on it, allowing me to comprehend the subject better! My luck is great!

I'm pretty sure my grandmother's family came from Sicily, so this was a treat to see! It's really is such a fascinating slice of Mediterranean history, it's nice to see it get some genuine love and attention.

@Camaleonte9087

2 жыл бұрын

lol, no offence but I find this attitude of you Americans quite "interesting" I mean, you could be as much if not more delighted with idk Cuban history but no, Sicily it's nicer because maybe your grandmother family came frome there, I mean, see what interest you and not what some dead relative of you might have wanted you to be interested in

@dangerdan2592

2 жыл бұрын

@@Camaleonte9087 Just let people be interested in whatever they want to be.

@Camaleonte9087

2 жыл бұрын

@@dangerdan2592 sure, that's the whole point, you don't need some kind of "connection" to be interested in something

@dangerdan2592

2 жыл бұрын

@@Camaleonte9087 You don't need it, but if you do have a connection with something, I don't see a problem in being interested in it. It's sort of like an ice breaker. You're already somewhat familiar with it even if it's a little bit. In Europe, I'm sure many children or grandchildren of migrants are interested in where their family came from, but I only ever see Americans catch flak for this. I mean it is annoying when some Americans play up the connection to their ancestors too much and have too much pride in it, but just being interested in the history is fine in my opinion. But hey, I'm an American as well so maybe I'm biased.

Can't believe you skipped over 1190, a.k.a. "Hey Tancred, if you're going to seize your dead cousin William's Sicilian kingdom and imprison his widow, try not to do it the very same year that her brother Richard the Lionheart comes cruising through the Mediterranean on the way to the Holy Land, along with his on-again, off-again boyfriend King Philip of France and two stonking armies". The year 1190 in Sicily was like three seasons of Game of Thrones on fast forward.

@Jumpoable

2 жыл бұрын

LOLOLOLOL

This is great timing! I've been looking up the Normans, but didn't know much about their southern exploits.

Great video like always, excited for the next one

What a coincidence, I just recently learned that my Grandma's family was from Sicily. I know they came over mid-late 1800s.I'm also told that after my Grandma's mother died, her sister stepped up and married my great-grandpa because (again, I was told) it was common practice at the time.

@Object-Impermanence-Official

2 жыл бұрын

Hi I know this comments already like 3 weeks old but I just wanted to say that pretty much the same thing happened with my great-great-grandma and grandpa after they both got widowed

@anna_in_aotearoa3166

2 жыл бұрын

Seems to have been a pretty common practice... keeping it in the family so to speak! I've always wondered about how it worked emotionally and psychologically? I mean, you'd know the person pretty well already (a bonus in eras & cultures where arranged marriage was still pretty common) and would know the in-laws etc already, making the transition less jarring. Presumably you'd also already have emotional investment in any kids that existed from the previous marriage too, so that (given historical evidence of poor treatment of step-children) would've been a definite incentive for the surviving parent. It must've surely have been pretty weird though to go from years of viewing someone like a sibling-in-law (hands off!) to now being married to them...? I can imagine that if you actually cared for your new spouse, competing with the memory of your deceased sibling for their affections would also be fairly strange...?

So I am a huge fan of the Sicilian Norman's and can recommend "the Norman's in the South" by John Julius Norwich. It is a fantastic book and a fairly easy to read format.

Thanks!!! I reqkky enjoyed this video. Learnt a lot and makes me want to go and learn some more onsite. Good work. Simplified and succinct but very entertaining

I’m from Sicily and I love my land so much. I’ve always studied it’s history and knowing what my native land has been trough, I never really understood why it’s past was so unknown. So, thank you so much for making this video and spreading the word.

@theodoruspantelides8661

Жыл бұрын

heyy buddy i own a greco sicilian napolitana friendship server if you want to join send me your discord account

oOH I LIVE IN SICILY! i’m excited to watch this!

Aaaaand my heart breaks for another cultured gemstone in history due to the ignorant monarchy/imperialism after the cool rulers died And South Italy has SUCH a goddamn beautiful history just for its children today to be the beaten horse of the country.

@Hyperversum3

2 жыл бұрын

Blame the 800, both after the unification and before, for that. The North had a larger experience with revolts and such, in the South, beyond the big cities, little happened. Hell, there were people not unlike feudal lords in early 1900 in Calabria

@Old_Harry7

2 жыл бұрын

@@Hyperversum3 even before that what screwed us for good was the Spanish domination which prevented renaissance from firing and later created the stepping stone for absolute imperialism in the region.

@Hyperversum3

2 жыл бұрын

@@Old_Harry7 That's another big point foreigners miss about.Italy indeed. The extreme difference between regions isn't random, it's the result of over 1300 years of Italy being a culturally defined region, but not politically united even in the slightest. It's kinda of annoying to see people speak about Italy like the big imperialisitc nations of Europe when it was first and foremost a country that was AFFECTED by other empires

@wildfire9280

2 жыл бұрын

​@@Hyperversum3 To me it looks like hstorical developments gave way to an essentially feudal state being integrated into an already industrializing one without effective land reform on top of having all protectionist tariffs on its primary export broken down just to support the latter's industrialization. The only attempt by any Italian government to rectify this disparity after unification seems to have been the Cassa del Mezzogiorno. Doesn't seem to have helped much either beyond inducing dependency on subsidization for growth. Edit: Okay so I've only read two wikipedia paragraphs and... dang. The post-unification governments really didn't care about the south, did they? Ridiculously unfair tax burden to have the south produce 40% of taxes when the land isn't nearly as profitable elsewhere, region-specific tariffs to shield northern industry from competition while leaving the south out to dry all while forcing it to contribute the most to a public spending effort focused on northern railways.

@Hyperversum3

2 жыл бұрын

@@wildfire9280 It has always been an issue that Italian governements, both the Kingdom and the Republic, have been more than happy to allow regional governements to have lots of responsability when It came down to infrastructures and local stuff. Thus, It was hard to crack the shell of corruption that kept the South so limited in its economy. It's not so much about Industrialization and lack of action of the central governement, but rather than there were people that had lots of personal gains and benefits, even outside of criminality, to keep things as they were. As an Italian, I can't blame enough the governements between 1955/6 and 1970. They had all the opportunities to change the situation, coming out from the early mess that the War left behind. But of course... Nope, nothing was done with real effort. After all, what should have expected from the Democrazia Cristiana? It's hard to remain popular when you do big changes and try to force progress even when the people that would benefit from it stand against It. It's even harder when your entire political agenda is mantaining the status quo. And then again, when the DC and similar parties disappeared through the 90s, they simply left the ground to the various Berlusconi governments that... Yep, once again where as much as possible about keeping people Happy with the status quo

Thanks for making that video about south Italy ❤ i always feel like it is left out when talking about Italy

My partner is sicilian, and recently ive been on the hunt for as much as I can learn. Thank you for this video