Fast Food Moves South, and Sicily Reads the Menu

International fast food chains are expanding across Italy faster than at any point since they first arrived, and the growth is increasingly directed at the south, according to a mapping published by The Local Italy. The outlet reports that the biggest global brands are opening outlets at a pace not seen before, with the southern regions now the frontier rather than the afterthought.

The finding sits awkwardly beside Sicily's own reputation. The island's food — its citrus, its fisheries, its almond and its wine — is among the most recognised Italian exports in the world, and its cuisine is the thing foreigners most often cite when they say they know Sicily at all.