Sicily and Malta

Martin from Tinadeblog compares the cultures of Sicily & Malta:

The two islands have a lot of cultural similarities. Located on the west of the southern end of the Italian peninsula, separated from the Italian mainland by the Strait of Messina, Sicily is autonomous region of Italy. Located to the South of Sicily (Italy), the East of Tunisia, and the North of Libya, the Republic of Malta is Island country of Southern Europe..

Sicilian culture's influence on Maltese culture is evident in the local cuisine, with its emphasis on olive oil, pasta, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables (especially the tomato), traditional appetizers such as caponata (Maltese: "kapunata") and rice balls (arancini), speciality dishes such as rice timbale (Maltese: "ross fil-forn"), and sweets such as the cassata and cannoli.

Sicilian culture's influence on the Maltese culture is also evident in many of the local superstitions, in simple children's nursery rhymes, and in the devotion to certain saints, especially St. Agatha. Centuries of dependence on the Diocese of Palermo brought many Sicilian religious traditions to Malta, including the Christmas crib (Maltese: "il-presepju"), the ritual visiting of several Altars of Repose on Good Friday (Maltese: "is-sepulkri"), and the graphic, grim realism of traditional Maltese religious images and sculpture.