Working with one of the key Anti-mafia organisations in Sicily today, Combating organised crime is an intrinsic part of Addio Pizzo, Addio Pizzo Travel and Comitato Addio Pizzo. So when an opportunity came up to work alongside an Anti-mafia Organisation, eager to expand my knowledge further, I literally jumped at the chance.
Getting used to the differences in social attitudes, and activities in Sicily, as well as the temperature has been a slow and interesting process. Surprised as I was that it rained quite heavily, I had heard gossip that it hardly ever rains here, the water was warm enough to shower in, and although I managed to control the urge to shower in the street, I similarly attempt to immerse myself in much the same way in the culture of Palermo.
Once you have got used to the shops and restaurants closing for most of the afternoon, it seems a little odd to have a siesta but the reason becomes apparent as the day continues. Many businesses close at 1pm and reopen at around 4pm and remain open until early evening. The restaurants open even later many at 6pm and remain open until very early in the morning. Initial frustrations of not being able to eat when I was used to are pushed aside by the quality of the food on offer at some of the establishments.
At the start of the day there is the familiar bustle one might find in many of the capital cities across the world, the sound of engines grinding and vehicle horns aplenty, all served up with the heavy smell of fumes, which adds to the rich taste of city life in Palermo. This continues for most of the morning as most people start their day, set off to work or shop.
After midday there is a silence and a distinct absence of traffic and people, while very few shops stay open the majority are closed. The streets become punctuated by the less ‘travel savvy tourists’ who seem oblivious at first to the lack of open businesses, and become frustrated when attempting to order lunch or early tea to find that there is little available.
Almost like the lull before a storm suddenly as if from nowhere the city erupts once more, a little after 4pm the shops are re-opened and the streets are filled once more with bustling traffic and people. As darkness begins to fall what had previously been non-descript shutters dotted along the footpaths are now flung open revealing elegant and obscure cocktail bars, and modern restaurants, offering the widest choices of Sicilian cuisine.
To the discerning tourist, who has research their visit they will be able to find a growing phenomenon in the streets of Palermo, 5 years in the making, Comitato Addio Pizzo and Addio Pizzo Travel offers a morally satisfying Pizzo free tour of Palermo.
In Sicily the word ‘Pizzo’ is used to describe the money that the mafia extort from legitimate business in and around the country. This ‘protection money’ or ‘protection racketeering’ can vary according to the size of the business and used to be linked to the quantity of windows a premises had. Currently approximately 80% of the city’s shops and business pay this Pizzo to the local Mafia Boss or organised criminal gang.
Addio Pizzo is literally translated to read ‘Say goodbye to the protection money’, with almost 500 shops and businesses in Palermo signed up to this growing movement and refusing to pay the Pizzo, Comitato Addio Pizzo is one of the few remaining proactive Anti-mafia Campaigners based in Palermo, they have their work cut for them, but this is a massive step in the right direction. What Addio Pizzo Travel are doing is supporting all the brave citizens and businessmen who refuse to pay the ‘Pizzo’ by offering a guided tour of the city and
identifying some of the Shops and Business who are ‘Pizzo Free’.
This enables the tourist to use the facilities of the shops and businesses that do not support the Mafia in Palermo, and aside from getting access to some of the finest produce and services the area can offer, it makes the experience a moral, socially acceptable and responsible choice and support those business that do not pay the Pizzo. ‘Paying (or rewarding) those who don’t pay’, is one of the slogans that highlight the deep set feeling that it is immoral, unethical and undignified to shop or support businesses that support the Mafia by paying them protection Money.
It’s almost like a whisper and if you did not know about Addio Pizzo you could be forgiven for missing it, but among the many shops in the city centre you can clearly see those who are part of Comitato Addio Pizzo Sporting bright orange stickers in the shop windows and doors. But gradually this whisper is getting louder and more and more businesses are rallying to the cause and realising that they too can benefit from supporting this growing moral phenomenon. Over 500 shops, businesses, museums and tourist attractions are now supporting the Comitato Addio Pizzo movement across the city of Palermo.
I would urge readers to research the Anti-mafia Culture that is growing in Sicily, and help us to spread the word, and promote this ethical consumerism and tourism campaign I know that I feel happier and more fulfilled by supporting Addio Pizzo, and the shops and businesses that support them too. Responsible and ethical tourism and consumerism work hand in hand in a region whose food is quite exquisite, its wine fruitful and plentiful, ultimately all of these things leave you with a good taste in your mouth.
Daran Oswyn Jones
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