Is Sicily the equivalent to Italy what Hawaii is to the US?

If you think about the difference in history and culture of both of those islands in comparison to the country's they belong to, it kind of is. Sicilians for instance, were dominated and occupied by peoples that never stepped foot on any other area in the country and that contributed largely to the ethnic stock of that region, like the moors and arabs and such. The traditions of Sicily are a lot different than the rest of Italy too.