Tradición política “nacional” y reforma institucional en la Sicilia borbónica (siglos XVIII-XIX)

The article aims to highlight the long journey of the ideological and cultural instruments of the Sicilian “nation” which emerged in response to the reform program of the Bourbon Neapolitan government, a process in which judicial-baronial power, which represented and claimed Sicilian autonomy from Naples, played an important role. In particular, it is evident that the attempt to dismantle and readapt the ancient institutions of the kingdom was difficult and met with much resistance, and how it was easier to implement the reforms at the local level, which proved to be a more flexible and open ground for change.