Stamp Stories from around the world

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was formed in 1815 by the union of the Kingdom of Sicily with the Kingdom of Naples (once known as the Kingdom of Peninsular Sicily). The two kingdoms had often been referred to collectively as the “Two Sicilies”. The new kingdom covered all of Southern Italy and the island of Sicily. The country had two capitals, Naples and at Palermo. At the time, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was the largest of the Italian States. Two Sicilies issued stamps in the name of both Naples and Sicily. The first and only seven stamps from Sicily were issued on 1 January 1859. Todays stamp is the issue with the denomination of 5 Grana (Gr). It shows the portrait of King Ferdinand II (1810-1859).