I would only disagree on on point in that the mafia does exist in the north of Italy – as a result of southern Italians moving up to the north and bringing their home comforts with them.

The mafia up north are, in the main, offshoots of Italy’s other mafia groups – and they retain links with their origins too. There was a big round up of a mafia family here in Milan not so long ago, and a newspaper article on this did mention connections to south Italy.

As for the infiltration/integration of the mafia into Italian society – of that there is no doubt.

You can say what you like about the mafias, but they sure as heck are not stupid.

All the best,

Alex

There is the ‘Mafia’ which is a phenomenon mainly in the south and organised crime, which happens everywhere in Italy, like any other country for that matter.

The Mafia originating from Sicily is more than just organised crime. Is a intricate network of families, relationships etc. that seek to control through a ‘honour’ code and loyalties a number of territories in the island. I think for a non-Sicilian understanding the real Mafia is very difficult. We only have writers such as Sciascia to get a glimpse in this kind of mentality.

This mentality has a variety of sources. But the main one was that it originated from a poor rural society that for centuries was left on its own and abandoned by its rulers. So this feudal system of control by a number of families developed.

While the Mafia was originally only a localised phenomenon, its tentacles (remember the TV series ‘La Piovra?’) was allowed to spread by self-serving corrupt politicians who made arrangements with Sicilian mafiosi to get votes. This resulted in members of Parliament being elected with votes organised by mafia bosses, and while these politicians were not directly members of the mafia, we could say that had plenty of blood on their hands.

This situation was further abetted by the fact that during the Cold War the Christian Democrats (who were the main beneficiary of mafiosi votes) managed to stay in power for decades and do very little to curtail mafia influence because many of their MPs relied on mafiosi votes. This tended to taint the whole political system.

The mafia also started to invade the North of Italy. However the conditions for this network of family and honour code did not exist. So in the north is not the real ‘mafia’ but just good ol’ organised crime.

However this tainting of the mafia (both Sicilian and Neapolitan varieties) of the Italian political system and the inactions of governments to do anything about it created the monster of the Lega Nord where even rational and intelligent northern Italians were attracted by their inane and racist propaganda, which is a pity (fortunately they bark more than bite these days)

“Yes, I heard that being fitted with iron weights and dumped in the Hudson River can be somewhat unhealthy…”

Yep, being treated to an unexpected and permanent bath in the Hudson would not do much for your health!

Cheers,

Alex

“…the natural generosity of Italians to me is the result of the mafia mentality seeping into everyday life. Does that make sense?”

Yep, I would agree with you. Italians are incredibly generous, but with some, you can’t help wondering, especially if you have been here for a while, if there is an underlying motive.

I would emphasise that by no means all Italians are like this, but a significant number are – hence high levels of corruption, and why the mafia integrates so well into Italian society.

Interesting observation Miss E!

Alex