Just outside Palermo you pass by one of the most horrific places historical wise in Sicily. The time when full blown mafia war between the clans and state was as at worst. But also the bravest when two people took the lead to fight these criminals, Falcone and Borsellino. Knowing they will pay for their work with their lives.

This monument by Capaci is the place where judge Falcone, his wife and body guards were killed by dynamite placed under the road 23rd of May 1992 by the Corleone mafia. Falcone worked to overthrow the power of the Sicilian Mafia building one of the most important legal cases in Italian history together with Bosellino, the Maxi Trial. The Maxi Trial was successful as 338 of 475 defendants were convicted, and 19 mafia bosses got life sentences including the most feared one Toto Riina, the Corleone boss.

This happening also lead to other legal changes. For the first time in Italy the privacy laws were changed and the guilty ones for this mass murder was found thanks to DNA in cigarettes left on the ground on significant spots for detonation. DNA connected to the Corleone clan members.

When you visit Sicily, avoid asking the locals about the Mafia and avoid being silly about the mafia. If you ave questions, ask a guide or us foreigners living here. It is a never healing wound here.

Do the Mafia still exist in Sicily? Most Sicilians says no, but yes, the Mafia exists. Not as brutal as those days, but it is a huge problem. Have I met the Mafia? Yes. You automatically do living here, but I as a foreigner do not have the same issues as a locals.

One example was my favorite restaurants by one of the offices I worked in. The owner was so kind and polite. We drank Prosecco and talked about life while waiting for my lunch to be ready. I borrowed him tools when they fixed things in their restaurant. I knew he had connections looking at all the allowances and licenses he got so easily from the municipality, while others had to work so hard to get anything done. He could create things a normal person never could. One day the restaurant was closed, the busiest month which was strange. I opened the newspaper and from many arrested faces I saw his face. Arrested for murder, extortion, drug- and weapon deals…the list was long. Do I have to be scared? No, I don’t have any business with them. Was just a neighbor ordering lunch. This is one side of Sicily!

Svenska

Strax utanf?r Palermo passerar du f?rbi en av de mest fruktansv?rda platserna historiskt p? Sicilien. Tiden d? fullbl?st maffiakrig mellan klanerna och staten var som v?rst. Men ocks? de modigaste n?r tv? personer tog ledningen f?r att bek?mpa dessa brottslingar, Falcone och Borsellino. Vetandes att de kommer att betala f?r sitt arbete med sina liv.

Detta monument vid Capaci ?r platsen d?r domaren Falcone, hans fru och livvakter d?dades av dynamit som placerats under v?gen den 23 maj 1992 av Corleone-mafifan. Falcone arbetade f?r att st?rta makten i sicilianska maffiaorganisationen som ledde till ett av de viktigaste r?ttsfallen i italiensk historia tillsammans med Bosellino, Maxi-r?tteg?ngen. Maxi-r?tteg?ngen lyckades eftersom 338 av 475 ?talade d?mdes och 19 maffiabossar fick livstidsdomar inklusive den mest fruktade Toto Riina, Corleone-bossen.

Detta ledde ocks? till andra juridiska f?r?ndringar. F?r f?rsta g?ngen i Italien ?ndrades lagarna om integritet och de skyldiga f?r detta massmord hittades tack vare DNA i cigaretter p? marken p? betydande platser f?r detoneringen. DNA anslutna till Corleone-klanmedlemmarna.

N?r du bes?ker Sicilien ska du undvika att fr?ga lokalbefolkningen om maffian och undvika att vara en idiot om maffian. Om du har fr?gor, fr?ga en guide eller oss utl?nningar som bor h?r. Det ?r ett aldrig l?kande s?r.

Finns Maffian fortfarande p? Sicilien? De flesta sicilianare s?ger nej, men ja, maffian existerar. Inte lika brutalt som de dagarna, men det ?r ett enormt problem. Har jag tr?ffat maffian? Ja. Bor du h?r ?r det per automatik, men jag som utl?nning har inte samma problem som lokalbefolkningen.

Ett exempel var ett av mina favoritrestauranger vid ett av de kontor jag arbetade p?. ?garen var s? sn?ll och artig. Vi drack Prosecco och pratade om livet medan vi v?ntade p? att min lunch skulle vara klar. Jag l?nade honom verktyg n?r de fixade saker p? sin restaurang. Jag visste att han hade f?rbindelser p.g.a. alla tillst?nd och licenser han s? enkelt fick fr?n kommunen, medan andra var tvungna att arbeta s? h?rt f?r att f? gjort n?got. Han kunde skapa saker som en normal person aldrig kunde. En dag var restaurangen som st?ngd, den livligaste m?naden som var konstigt. Jag ?ppnade tidningen och fr?n m?nga arresterade ansikten s?g jag hans ansikte. Arresterad f?r mord, utpressning, drog- och vapenhandel … listan var l?ng. M?ste jag vara r?dd? Nej, jag har inga aff?rer med dem. Var bara en granne som best?llde lunch. Detta ?r en sida av Sicilien!