Italian cuisine changed significantly with the discovery of the New World and the introduction of tomatoes, bell peppers, and potatoes. Do you enjoy Italian cuisine?
I lived in Sicily for a couple of years, and I really developed an appreciation for Italian cuisine!  That was probably the best food I've ever had.
Lucky you! There is a regional diversity between the north and south in Italy. Sicily is northern, right?
Sicily is the most southern part of Italy, it's the island at the bottom of the "boot" of the country.  It's very culturally different form the northern region.
I see that it is an autonomous region in Italy along with minor islands which are often referred to as "Regione Siciliana"
Yep!  Their flag has a Medusa's head on it with three protruding legs, called the "Trinacrea".  The island was once conquered by the Greeks, so a lot of their culture comes from ancient Greece.
That is so cool! I see they have a prominent landmark called Mount Etna which is the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world.
Yes!  I've climbed Mt. Etna, but we couldn't go to the summit because it was too dangerous.  It's always shooting a few rocks, and you have a small chance of actually getting hurt up there.  I still have some lava stone that I kept :)
Wow! That sounds dangerous! I see the activity is currently high although it can vary with summit eruptions.
We lived in a place that was subject to evacuation if Etna got too volatile.  We had to keep a "go" bag around all the time just in case.  It would have been really challenging to round up two cats, a dog, and a baby to get out of there though!