Is there still mafia in Italy.....or are they all in America now?

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â‚ªdjanmaâ‚ª [a man in the maze]

mafia is everywhere and isn't something typical of italy except for the name. mafia is a way to think and to act and is enradicated in all coltures of the whole world.

sorry that i'm soooo tired and i'm going to sleep but i'd liked to give you an exhaustive answer.

bye

albimoretto

I'm sorry......but nowadays mafia is all over the world:-(

nonconformiststraightguy

Mafia, also referred to in "True Lords" Italian as Cosa Nostra ("Our Thing" or "This Thing of Ours"), is a secret society formed in the mid-19th century in Sicily. An offshoot emerged on the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Italian immigration to that country.

The Mafia's power in the United States peaked in the mid-20th century, until a series of FBI investigations in the 1970s and 1980s reduced the Mafia's influence. Despite its decline the Mafia continues to be the most dominant criminal organization operating in the U.S. and uses this status to maintain control over much of both Chicago's and New York City's organized criminal activity.

After Fascism, the Mafia did not become powerful in Italy again until after the country's surrender in the Second World War, and the U.S. occupation. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, a series of internecine "gang wars" led to many prominent Mafia members being murdered, and a new generation of mafiosi has placed more emphasis on "white-collar" criminal activity as opposed to more traditional racketeering enterprises. In reaction to these developments, the Italian press has come up with the phrase Cosa Nuova ("the new thing", a play on Cosa Nostra) to refer to the revamped organization.

Salvatore RiinaThe main split in the Sicilian Mafia at present is between those bosses who have been convicted and are now in jail, chiefly Salvatore 'TotÃ²' Riina and Leoluca Bagarella, and those such as the recently caught capo di tutti capi Bernardo Provenzano, who are on the run, or who have not been indicted. The incarcerated bosses are currently subjected to harsh controls on their contact with the outside world, limiting their ability to run their operations from behind bars under the Italian law 41 bis. Antonino GiuffrÃ¨ â€“ a close confidant of Provenzano, turned pentito shortly after his capture in 2002 â€“ alleges that in 1993, Cosa Nostra had direct contact with representatives of Silvio Berlusconi while he was planning the birth of Forza Italia.

horsinround2do

Mafia are everywhere but usually operating at a level that is unseen by the average tourist, visitor. I lived in Sicily for 2 years and while I had my suspicions, I never actually met anyone who said they were mafia. Ok so someone shot one of our contractors, it could've been an accident.

xorosho

I lived in ciity just outside of Catania, Sicily for 13 yrs from 1979 to 2000 off and on in the late 70's to early 90's it really alot of them thier but thier is not so many now and they are more underground now not so noticeable.

Dr Zoidberg

Yup...a shitload got arrested over there not too long ago. La Costra Nostra is still alive and well in Sicily...

ovenmits22

Mafia as an activity exists. However, tourists in Italy are not really targets.

silver wings

ok, this is voice from experience, lived in Italy, been in Sicily.. yes, there is still mafia, but this is a major stereotype it is not everywhere as we see in movies, you will not see shootings as movies portray. Mafia is only among its associates so the risk of danger is very slim, you should worry more about pocket pickers and purse snatchers in some areas.

figojonny

Not as bad as the US...there they mostly run prostitution (which is legal) and the drug trade (which isn't). The only city where it is still a problem like it was is Naples - people are killed there daily and are never found and not because the police aren't trying (or being paid off) but because the leaders pay illegal immigrants to do the dirty work and they they dissolve the bodies in vats of acid. But other than Naples it's pretty tame...especially in comparison with the US.

Paul

and Sicily...

ontheroadagainwithoutyou

mmm mmm (said with facial expression)

kjb2b

ah yes definitely!!!!

kunosayu

Naples is the only remaining place that can be dangerous for tourist.. .that's a shame cause it is a nice place (I was born and lived there for 28 years). "Mafia" attitude in places like Naples, Sicily and southern italy goes beyond the criminal organization.. it is a culture that is radicated into people's minds and express in everyday activities and attitudes, songs, plays and so on.
Naples was able to create a couple of "safe" zones about 8-9 years ago where tourists were pretty safe.. now it has gone bad again..
Other than Naples.. the more north you go the better and safer u'll feel in Italy... altough u can consider the line between Naples and Roma as a big "step" in safety.

julia P

They are everywhere...;)

--Flavia--

we tried to send all mafia to you but it has been hard...
unlucky mafia is everywhere in the world.. called in different way but the substance is always that... from poorest man in the street to richest in their offices...

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