Paul Mellon Lecture - Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History, February 2016

For the 2016 Paul Mellon Lecture, the Right Honorable John Julius Norwich shared stories from his book, Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History.

The stepping stone between Europe and Africa, the gateway between the East and the West, at once a stronghold, clearinghouse, and observation post, Sicily has been invaded and fought over by Phoenicians and Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans, Goths and Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, Germans, Spaniards, and French for thousands of years. It has belonged to them all— and yet has properly been part of none.

John Julius Norwich was inspired to become a writer by his first visit, in 1961, and his recent book, upon which this lecture was based, traces the history of the island. The lecture covered everything from erupting volcanoes to the assassination of Byzantine emperors, from Lord Nelson’s affair with Emma Hamilton to Garibaldi and the rise of the Mafia. It took in the key buildings and towns, and was packed with unforgettable stories and characters.

Lord Norwich’s relationship with WMF traces back to our early work in Venice, following the catastrophic floods of 1966.

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