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The “Father of Greek tragedy” (525–456 BC) was born near Athens but made extended visits to Sicily. Only seven of around 500 plays have survived the centuries, among them Agamemnon , Oedipus and Prometheus Bound . Many of his plays were premiered in Syracuse’s theatre (see Greek Theatre), where they are still performed.

Messina-born Antonello (c.1430–79) is one of the masters of Italian Renaissance art, known for his exacting detail, intriguing portraits and the luminous quality of his paintings. He achieved the latter through his skilful use of oil paints, a technique he learned from Flemish masters. Italian Renaissance artists adopted oils in his wake and it became the standard medium for the world’s greatest masterpieces. The few Antonello works that remain in Sicily are in museums in Palermo, Messina, Syracuse and Cefalù.

The Gagini family set the style for architecture and sculpture in Sicily during the 15th and 16th centuries. Inspired by elements of northern and central Italian art, the Gagini combined Renaissance and Gothic forms to create uniquely Sicilian pieces. Domenico (d.1492) was influenced by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, and opened a workshop in Palermo. His son Antonello (1478–1536) produced delicately modelled, classic sculpture in the tradition of 15th-century Florence, in materials from marble to stucco.

The Palermo-born artist (1656–1732) decorated Baroque interiors, creating an aesthetic transition between architecture and paintings by covering all available space with figures and scenes modelled in stucco.

The composer (1801–35) was born in Catania, trained in Naples and is buried in Catania’s cathedral. His successful early works led to commissions for La Scala in Milan. The Sleepwalker and Norma are among his most successful operas.

Born at Caos near Agrigento, Pirandello (1867–1936) is known as the founder of 20th-century drama. His best-known work is the play Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921).

Lampedusa (1896–1957) is the author of Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) , the classic portrait of Sicilian aristocracy pre- and post-Unification. It was based on the life of his great-grandfather and published posthumously.

Born in Modica, Quasimodo (1901–68) wrote anti-Fascist works in a political climate that made it necessary to disguise his message. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1959.

From Bagheria, Guttuso (1912–87) painted energetic canvases that spoke out against the Mafia and Fascism and illustrated Sicilian peasant life.

Sciascia (1921–89) was a political essayist and novelist. Works such as The Wine Dark Sea give insight into the complicated world of Sicilian thinking and Mafia culture.