On the island of Sicily beauty and brutality have lived side by side for thousands of years. It was here in a world of shadows and secrets that the Mafia was born. Through terror and murder a small minority of men held Sicily in their grip. Eventually their influence reached all the way to the highest levels of Italian government and beyond. Organised Crime – A World History: Sicily
But soon after his arrival the 53-year-old prosecutor was pronounced dead. His wife died a few hours later. For more than a decade Falcone had worked tirelessly to bring down the Sicilian Mafia. ibid.
Borsellino and five of his bodyguards were killed instantly. For the second time in as many months Sicily mourned the loss of a crusader for justice. ibid.
For over a century the Mafia had been poisoning Sicily, cloaking generations of violence and corruption in a mantle of respectability. ibid.
In the absence of legitimate government these new local bosses filled the political vacuum. ibid.
This dedication to complete secrecy coupled with the threat of violence allowed the Sicilian underworld to gradually tighten its grip on the island’s economy. ibid.
It was the beginning of a long and close relationship between the Christian Democrats and the Mafia. ibid.
After five years of thuggery the Mafia bosses in Palermo realised that war between the families was cutting into their profits. They decided to call a meeting to discuss their differences. In October 1957 scores of Mafiosi converged on ... a summit meeting that would last four days. As a result of these discussions it was decided to form a Commission to govern Mafia affairs. ibid.
In the early 1960s the Sicilian Mafia moved into a lucrative new area: the international drugs trade. ibid.
The Mafia: in the early ’60s the Mafia infiltrated the city council and managed to have many of Palermo’s historic buildings demolished. Andrew Graham-Dixon & Giorgio Locatelli, Sicily Unpacked 1/3, BBC 2012
It’s a plan in part relying on the help of one of the most notorious gangstas in America and his criminal empire. This is the story of mob boss Lucky Luciano and the astonishing secret coalition the US Navy never want told. Wartime Crime s1e6: The Sicilian Connection, Yesterday 2018
Sicily: Benito Mussolini’s rise to power has threatened to put an end to the Mafia. ibid.
WWII: ‘Operation Husky is fledged, and this plan is to take the US 7th army and the British 8th army and hit Sicily in the south.’ ibid. Geoffrey Wawro, University of Texas
Salvatore Riina played a leading role in the Mafia war that lasted from 1981 to 1983; in Sicily more than a thousand deaths have been attributed to it. Mafia Confidential, National Geographic 2018
‘He was the most lovable person in the world.’ ibid. driver
‘There was a massacre in Palermo; a homicide a day.’ ibid. commentator
‘Kill them all! Kill the kids too!’ ibid. Riina, attributed
‘Riina was the emblem of Cosa Nostra orthodoxy.’ ibid. commentator
‘It is a tragedy of intrigue, mystery and death. But also of life, passion and struggle. The stage is set for an extraordinary story where good and evil confront each other.’ A Very Sicilian Justice: Taking on the Mafia, Al Jazeera 2016
An unprecedented trial where politicians, the police and the Mafia are in the dock together. [Judge] Di Matteo is now the threatened man in Italy and the most protected. ibid.
‘In one year 200 people were killed.’ ibid.
‘I was brought up on the legend of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.’ ibid. lawyer of murdered anti-Mafia judges
475 Mafioso were brought to court; 346 were found guilty. ibid.
‘It’s an organisation that wants to exercise power in place of the state.’ ibid. commentator
In 1993 the Mafia unleashed a wave of bombings across Italy. ibid.
In Palermo, Italy, the Italian state is on trial for colluding with the Mafia. ibid.
That the state made a secret pact with Riina’s successor … in return for ending the bombing campaign. ibid. testimony
The State/Mafia trial is still ongoing. All the accused denied the charges against them … The hunt for the explosives continues. ibid.
For example, if you touch Mafia people, you’ll touch DC people. And touching Christian Democrats, you touch Church people. Corleone VI starring Caludio Gioe & Daniele Liotti & Simona Cavallari & Marco Leonardi & Salvatore Lazzaro & Marco Leonardi & Alfredo Pea et al, rozzer to rozzer
The Mafia seems like an unstoppable tide. Corleone IX starring Caludio Gioe & Daniele Liotti & Simona Cavallari & Marco Leonardi & Salvatore Lazzaro & Marco Leonardi & Alfredo Pea et al, communist
They’re everywhere. They’re worse than the Red Brigades. The Brigades are against the State, the Mafia is inside the State. ibid. rozzer
There are more than 5,000 men of honour. They’re a real army. Corleone XII starring Caludio Gioe & Daniele Liotti & Simona Cavallari & Marco Leonardi & Salvatore Lazzaro & Marco Leonardi & Alfredo Pea et al, chief rozzer
By now all we’re able to do is wait for them to kill us all. ibid. rozzer
When you go against everyone, sooner or later you’ll get fucked. ibid. sidekick gangsta
Finally the news many Italians have been waiting for: the arrest of Toto Riina, Mafia boss and number one of the Cosa Nostra. ibid. television news
The remains of former family friend and political activist Giuseppe Peppino Impastato are found on a Sicilian railway line. Killer Trials: Murdered By the Mob
Their uncle Cesare is blown up by a car bomb. ibid.
He has become one of the key players of a multi-million dollar heroin trafficking operation that imports heroin from the middle east and distributes it across America through a chain of pizza parlours. ibid.
The law finally caught up to Messina Denaro, the last of the old-school Sicilian mob bosses, aka The Skinny One. True Crime Recaps: Mobb Boss Nabbed After 30 Years in Hiding! Youtube 0.59 short, 2023
It the end it was his family who accidentally got him busted! ibid.
When you’re a Mob boss looking to consolidate your power you look at human emotions differently. And there’s one tested method for putting this spine-tingling tool to work – ‘you have to perform violence.’ How to Become a Mob Boss III: Dominate Through Terror: Salvatore Riina
Sicily’s boss of bosses, Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina … He earned billions through diverse pursuits … ibid.
‘He is thought to have authorised between 800 and 1,000 killings.’ ibid. man
Sicily: After the Mafia massacres in the ’90s, the Anti-Mafia movement fought back. Judges and journalists had a leading role in this fight. But are they all real heroes? Vendetta: Truth, Lies & the Mafia I: Declaration of War, Netflix 2021
Every time I get into my car and start it I close my eyes. ibid. Pino Maniaci, journalist
The biggest story was the capture of Bernardo Provenzano. ibid.
Toto Riina was a bloodthirsty ruthless boss. ibid.
We want to talk about and show you the seized assets left completely abandoned. ibid. re: Judicial administration
There are some judges that love the smell of money. ibid. Maniaci
They released a fucking DVD with the aim of ruining Pino Maniaci’s reputation. Vendetta: Truth, Lies & the Mafia II: Death by Video, Pino
The anti-Mafia Mafia. This is really serious. And it’s devastating. The judicial administrators after they got their money left businesses to go bankrupt. ibid.
The Council has expelled me from the judiciary. Vendetta: Truth, Lies & the Mafia III: Corruption: The Sicilian Curse, head of Judicial Assets department Saguto
There are people who want to shut Pino Maniaci up … Pino Maniaci has bravely exposed what is wrong with the government … There is also a vendetta against him. Vendetta: Truth, Lies & the Mafia IV: Traps & Conspiracies, brief
I think she’s in a position to blackmail half the Italian judiciary. Vendetta: Truth, Lies & the Mafia V: Truth & Lies, Pino
We should build a statue of Pino Maniaci. ibid. supporter
They have fuck all on me. ibid. Pino
Influence is one of the worst things about democracy. They’ve already reached a verdict. ibid. Judge Saguto’s brief
Bullshit! Who the fuck can we trust? Vendetta: Truth, Lies & the Mafia VI: The Reckoning, Pino
I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve spent my whole life fighting the Mafia. ibid. Judge Saguto
Guilty … 8 years and six months in prison. ibid. court
So basically they’ve convicted everyone. ibid. Judge Saguto
Do you realise how insane this is? ibid.
February 2021: It is they who are the corrupt ones. ibid. Pino’s brief
Maniaci’ Defamation 2 charges: Guilty … 1 year 5 months in prison as well as the court fees. ibid.