The Sicilian economy ( and the wider '' mezzogiorno '' economy ) remained relatively underdeveloped after the Italian unification , in spite of the strong investments made by the Kingdom of Italy in terms of modern infrastructure , and this caused an unprecedented wave of emigration . In 1894 , organisations of workers and peasants known as the '' Fasci Siciliani '' protested against the bad social and economic conditions of the island , but they were suppressed in a few days . The Messina earthquake of 28 December 1908 killed more than 80,000 people
Messina earthquake
1908 Messina earthquake
Sicily