Something Is Slowly Changing in Sicily: the Fight Against the Mafia
Stephanie Holmes at BBC News gives an encouraging portrait of a changing Sicily.
In the Cosa Nostra’s stronghold of Palermo, Sicily’s sprawling port capital, the Mafia have ways and means of knowing if you are turning a profit. And inevitably they want a cut.
“It starts with them glueing over your keyhole,” explains Cecile Lambert, a young member of an association, Addiopizzo, that aims to free the city’s shopkeepers from the tyranny of extortion payments. “That’s a clear signal that they are looking for the pizzo.”
The pizzo - or protection money - is paid monthly and the sum is even negotiable. If you are unable, or unwilling, to interpret the Cosa Nostra’s symbolic language then they are usually more than happy to make it clearer.
Read more at BBC News
NewsNews
April 15th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Read the “anti-mafia” article… good thing!
A was in PA yesterday, with my US friend Gene…
we enjoyed a wonderful meal in a “trattoria” near the POLITEAMA in the centre of the city.
Later we ate cannoli… filled with ricotta cheese…
wonderful!
And the sun was shining… I’m gonna repeat that soon! With whoever comes….
I like PA… a beautiful ciy… I just know its center… but I enjoy it every time I go there!
A nice day to you all!
Duilio