Headline, April19, 2013

'''TALLY HO MAFIA'''

On one hand, Sicily is the Mediterranean at its sun drenched, laid-back best. On the other, it's an island in the grip of Mafiosi. Steel yourself as you visit this cold-blooded hot spot. 

Mafia Boss Bernardo Provenzano was nicknamed ''Bernie the Tr'actor'' because he ''mowed people down''.

He had been on the run for over 43 years but this did not stop him from astutely co-ordinating his business from various rustic hideouts in and around Corleone.

Corleone came to global recognition after Mario Puzo chose it as the birthplace of the Godfather. But its clustered roofs sheltering beneath the mountains were already notorious as the cradle of a powerful and very real Mafia clan. These narrow, cobbled streets, overhung with bed sheets drying in the breeze, once regularly rang with shots fired between its two warring families.

These days, old men in white shirts and flat caps sit in the sunshine, not far from where they played as children. The palm-lined piazzas are safe -just too safe. You could leave your car unlocked and your wallet on the front seat; under the ever watchful eye of the Mafia, no petty crime is allowed. There is nothing flash about Corleone; the houses the cars look unremarkable, but you do get the feeling you're under observation. Here it's not wealth that is on show, but merciless power.

Of course, Sicily has many more typical attractions to bring in its over 2M visitors every summer  -the spa hotels of the Aeolian islands, Taormina for a touch of seaside glamour, Etna with its natural drama. Sicily's many aacesible historic sites also offer a glimpse of its rich culture and historic glorious past. Ortigia, the ancient port of Siracusa, the majestic Greek Temples at Segesta, and Cefalu with its Norman Cathedral a short walk from the beach.

But travel around the island, away from the crowds, and it's hard to ignore the presence of a harsher reality. It watches you from behind shuttered windows, puts everyone on their guard, and throws echoes of death all around. And it's very compelling nonetheless. Centuries of foreign invasion and occupation, have not created a happy-go-lucky race of Sicilians. Visitors will never be treated with anything but the greatest of civility, but these are wary, inward looking island people.

Initially distant an cautious, then fiercely embracing. But as you drive to Palermo, at least, there is a feeling that Sicilians are now trying to build themselves a future and forget the past. This stretch of the road is bewildering  -the Conca d'Oro, or Golden basin, once an oasis of citrus groves leading down to the sea, is now built up like Rio de Janeiro. Developers, who were fronts for Mafia operations, have poured cement over the landscape, lining the rivers, propping up the the roads on concrete stilts for miles, and building, building, building.

At Capaci, the road passes a memorial to the heroic anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, who was killed in a massive explosion along with his wife and bodyguards. This place is now marked by a ''beacon'' , which at night beams out a message ''Mafia No''. Its ghastly presence hardly makes you feel protected, instead, it serves to remind you of somebody lurking out there, smoking, waiting, bent on destruction.

And this perhaps, is the island's unique paradox. A love affair with death made all the more unsettling by its glorious setting.

This remarkable post continues to the final part. Just don't miss it. With respectful dedication to all the students of Sicily.

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voicelesss