EX-MOB BATTLEFIELD NOW ITALY’S SAFEST CITY
Sicily’s capital has made great strides in shaking off its brutal past, writes Andrea Vogt
Palermo is now the safest city in Italy, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics. The Sicilian capital and traditional home of the Mafia has long been famous for its dark criminal underbelly — a reputation cemented in the global mind by films such as The Godfather. But the city has for years been hard at work to turn its reputation around — and it seems to be paying off. The same city where mob bosses like Toto “The Beast” Riina once assassinated rivals and dissolved their relatives in acid just celebrated a year as the Italian cultural capital, and is now a popular stop for cruise ships. Today, passengers stroll through the streets and markets of the historical centre once controlled by the mob.
Tourists still trek to locations where real and fictional mob bosses lived and died, and guides offer tours to Godfather filming locations — but there are also alternative tours to memorials honouring those who died fighting organised crime.
Though organised crime has not been defeated, community associations have nurtured an anti-mafia culture that inspires businesses to stand up to mob extortion.
They also encourage shopping at the 1,000 businesses that refuse to pay protection money.
Much credit is due to Mayor Leoluca Orlando, whose reputation was built on his strong anti-Mafia stance in the ’80s and ’90s.
The Italian National Institute of Statistics recently showed that, among the 12 biggest cities in all of Italy, Palermo had the least amount of crime. The city with the most was Milan (followed by Bologna and Turin).