The Romans, Byzantines and Saracens exported different elements of their aristocratic structures to the island of Sicily, however, it was not until the Norman invasion of 1061, led by Roger I de Hauteville, that the Sicilian aristocracy and feudal system took root.
During the mid-eleventh century, southern Italian powers from the mainland sought military assistance from Norman mercenaries in an attempt to wrest control of Sicily away from its Saracen rulers.
The Catalogus Baronum ("Catalogue of Barons"), was an early twelfth-century document listing the Norman vassals of the region and their respective feudal rights, possessions and duties.
Instead of renaming the regions which they controlled, the Norman aristocracy opted to change their own surnames, recorded in Catalogus Baronum, often adopting that of the territories over which they obtained authority and taxation powers.
One of the most celebrated members of twentieth century Sicilian aristocracy is Giuseppe Tomasi, the 11th Prince di Lampedusa (1896–1957), most remembered for his novel Il Gattopardo (1963), for which he won the Strega Prize.
[4] Without the feudal responsibilities of their ancestors many members of Sicilian aristocracy emigrated from their native land, sometimes to the Italian peninsula, to other locales of the European continent and Britain, or to North and South America.
[citation needed] Another example is Baron Marco di Serramarrocco who, having left for a professional career in England, returned to start his own winery on his family's estate.
Others have adapted to modern day economic conditions by renting out their homes/sections of their homes, developing vineyards on their property, setting up agrotourism sometimes themed to replicate the lifestyle of a bygone era etc.