conquests of the 11th and 12th centuries much of the South followed Eastern rite (Greek) Christianity. The Normans who settled in Sicily and Southern Italy in the Middle Ages significantly impacted the architecture, religion and high culture of the region. Later, Southern Italy was subjected to rule by the new European nation states, first the Crown of Aragon, then Spain, and then Austria. The Spanish had a major impact on the culture of the South, having ruled it for over three centuries. Jewish communities lived in Sicily and Southern Italy for over 15 centuries, but in 1492 King Ferdinand II of Aragon proclaimed the Edict of expulsion. At their height, Jewish Sicilians probably constituted around one tenth of the island's population. After the Edict, they partially converted to Christianity and some moved to the Ottoman Empire and other places in Italy and Europe. In the 19th century, street musicians from Basilicata began to roam worldwide to seek a fortune, most of them would become professional instrumentalists in symphonic orchestras, especially in the United States. Southern Italy has many major tourist attractions, such as the Palace of Caserta, the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Sassi di Matera, Trulli di Alberobello and other archaeological sites (many of which are protected by UNESCO). There are also many ancient Greek cities in Southern Italy, such as Sybaris and Paestum, which were founded several centuries before the start of the Roman Republic. Some of its beaches, woodlands and mountains are preserved in several National Parks; a major example is the Pollino, between Basilicata and Calabria, that hosts the largest national park in Italy. In recent years, Southern Italy has experienced a revival of its traditions and music, such as the Neapolitan song and the Tarantella. See also Italian NUTS level 1 regions Central Italy Northeast Italy Northwest Italy Meridionalism Southern Italy autonomist movements References Further reading Albanese, Salvatore Nicodemo. Gramsci and the Southern Question (1980) Schneider, Jane. Italy's 'Southern Question': Orientalism in One Country (1998) Dal Lago, Enrico, and Rick Halpern, eds. The American South and the Italian Mezzogiorno: Essays in Comparative History (2002) Doyle, Don. Nations Divided: America, Italy, and the Southern Question (2002) Moe, Nelson. The View from Vesuvius: Italian Culture and the Southern Question (2002) Spagnoletti, Angelantonio. Storia del Regno delle Due Sicilie (2008) Nitti, Francesco Saverio. Eroi e briganti (1899-2015) Di Lampedusa, Tomasi. Il gattopardo (1958-2018) Pinto, Carmine. La guerra per il Mezzogiorno.