In 2077 European Union finally collapsed after decades of financial problems and economic and political instability. Also in that year, the entire economy of Italy collapsed the currency became inflated and unemployment rose dramatically. The Italian government was forced to sell off many of their assets including their art from various museums. Anything causes the Italian government to sell the island of Sicily to Singapore in 2092. The economy of the country never be fully recovered and the country descended into anarchy that lasted well into the 2090s. In 2193 democracy was reestablished in Italy and the nation began to recover from the political turmoil of the late 21st century. Sicily remains part of the Singaporean Empire and the Italian government continued to trade with his empire bring economic growth and more political stability.