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  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: A man walks up the escalator of the Courthouse in Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8834.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: A carabiniere, one of Italy's armed forces, adjusts a fan by his desk in front of the elevator which leads to the floor of the office of anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri in the courthouse of Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. In June Mr Gratteri found out about a plot to kill him. A mafia boss-turned-state witness had confessed that a prominent family belonging to the Calabrian mafia ‘Ndrangheta had recently purchased 36 pounds of plastic explosives, with which they’d planned to blow up Gratteri and his security escort.<br />
<br />
The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8802.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: Leaving the office of anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri means  having to cross the restroom between two hallways of the courthouse of Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. In June Mr Gratteri found out about a plot to kill him. A mafia boss-turned-state witness had confessed that a prominent family belonging to the Calabrian mafia ‘Ndrangheta had recently purchased 36 pounds of plastic explosives, with which they’d planned to blow up Gratteri and his security escort.<br />
<br />
The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8776.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: A surveillance monitor in the office of anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri films the armored entrance door of his office in the courthouse of Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. In June Mr Gratteri found out about a plot to kill him. A mafia boss-turned-state witness had confessed that a prominent family belonging to the Calabrian mafia ‘Ndrangheta had recently purchased 36 pounds of plastic explosives, with which they’d planned to blow up Gratteri and his security escort.<br />
<br />
The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8766.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: Anti-mafia prosecutor of Reggio Calabria Nicola Gratteri, 54, is here in his armored office in the courthouse of Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. In June Mr Gratteri found out about a plot to kill him. A mafia boss-turned-state witness had confessed that a prominent family belonging to the Calabrian mafia ‘Ndrangheta had recently purchased 36 pounds of plastic explosives, with which they’d planned to blow up Gratteri and his security escort.<br />
<br />
The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8756.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: Anti-mafia prosecutor of Reggio Calabria Nicola Gratteri, 54, is here in his armored office in the courthouse of Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. In June Mr Gratteri found out about a plot to kill him. A mafia boss-turned-state witness had confessed that a prominent family belonging to the Calabrian mafia ‘Ndrangheta had recently purchased 36 pounds of plastic explosives, with which they’d planned to blow up Gratteri and his security escort.<br />
<br />
The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8751.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: Anti-mafia prosecutor of Reggio Calabria Nicola Gratteri, 54, is here in his armored office in the courthouse of Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. In June Mr Gratteri found out about a plot to kill him. A mafia boss-turned-state witness had confessed that a prominent family belonging to the Calabrian mafia ‘Ndrangheta had recently purchased 36 pounds of plastic explosives, with which they’d planned to blow up Gratteri and his security escort.<br />
<br />
The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8705.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 31 August, 2012: A man walks up the escalator of the Courthouse in Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 31, 2012. The Libri gang of Reggio Calabria has managed to infiltrate even the construction of the new palace of justice, not through the traditional system of bribes, but by legally signing for the delivery of services and labor that was controlled and taxed by the mob.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria_IMG_8688.jpg
  • ITALY - 19 MARCH 2020:  The last known photograph of Matteo Messina Denaro, the top Cosa Nostra boss on the run since 1993, is seen here in Italy on March 19th 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200319_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • ROME, ITALY - 21 FEBRUARY 2020: Federico Cafiero De Raho (68), the Italian national Anti-Mafia and Counter-Terrorism Public Prosecutor, poses for a portrait in his office in Rome, Italy, on February 21st 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200221_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Enzo Alfano (63), mayor of Castelvetrano, poses for a portrait in his office in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020. Castelvetrano is notorious as the birthplace of Cosa Nostra's top boss Matteo Messina Denaro.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: A man walks in the town of Castelvetrano, notorious as the birthplace of Cosa Nostra's top boss Matteo Messina Denaro, in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: The tomb of lorenzo Cimarosa, Giuseppe Cimarosa's father, is seen here at the cemetery in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Famil
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: The wedding album of Giuseppe Cimarosa's parents, Lorenzo and Rosa (center), posing for a group picture with mafia boss and fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro (right) in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Prove
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) cuddles his horse at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Ma
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Pilgrims and a local band waits for the end of the mass by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi to  start the religious procession in Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9950.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Francesco, 15, and Giuseppe, 14, play accordion and tambourine on their way back from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9765.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: Unfinished tombs are seen here in the cemetery of Gioia Tauro, a mafia strongold in Calabria,  Italy, on September 1st, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redi
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9627.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: Unfinished tombs are seen here in the cemetery of Gioia Tauro, a mafia strongold in Calabria,  Italy, on September 1st, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemploy
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9591.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 31 August, 2012: Antonio Pioli, 62, the father of Fabrizio Pioli, a 38 years old man who was killed in February 2012 and whose body is still missing in  Rosano, Italy, a mafia stronghold on August 31, 2012. Fabrizio Pioli was apparently killed by the family of Simona Napoli, the married woman who Fabrizio had an affair with and whose father is a fugitive mafia boss.<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_9220.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 31 August, 2012: Mayor of Gioia Tauro Renato Bellofiore, 44, complains about the debt left by his predecessors, in Gioia Tauro, Italy, on August 31, 2012. Mr Bellofiore was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8899.jpg
  • ROME, ITALY - 21 FEBRUARY 2020: Federico Cafiero De Raho (68), the Italian national Anti-Mafia and Counter-Terrorism Public Prosecutor, poses for a portrait in his office in Rome, Italy, on February 21st 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200221_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • ROME, ITALY - 21 FEBRUARY 2020: Federico Cafiero De Raho (68), the Italian national Anti-Mafia and Counter-Terrorism Public Prosecutor, poses for a portrait in his office in Rome, Italy, on February 21st 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200221_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: The home in which Cosa Nostra's top boss Matteo Messina Denaro grew up, as well as his mother's current residence, is seen here in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Enzo Alfano (63), mayor of Castelvetrano, poses for a portrait in his office in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020. Castelvetrano is notorious as the birthplace of Cosa Nostra's top boss Matteo Messina Denaro.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: A man walks in the town of Castelvetrano, notorious as the birthplace of Cosa Nostra's top boss Matteo Messina Denaro, in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: A man parks his Porsche car at the side entrance of the Belicittà shopping center, confiscated from the entrepreneur Giuseppe Grigoli, accused of being a front man for the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020. <br />
<br />
The entrepreneurial rise of Matteo Messina Denaro coincides with the beginning of his escape. In addition to the traditional sectors in which Cosa Nostra operates, such as the control of drug trafficking (thanks to Messina Denaro's contacts with the South American drug cartels), the boss began to expand his business into the large-scale distribution and alternative energy sectors. Money was thus laundered into supermarkets and shopping malls. Partner and front man of Matteo Messina Denaro was Giuseppe Grigoli, the so-called "king of supermarkets", owner of a giant retailer that managed the Despar supermarkets and the Belicittà shopping centre. Grigoli started his business with a small shop in 1974, and with the protection of the boss he managed to put together an empire of 750 million euros. Another great business is alternative energy, in particular wind power. Messina Denaro's closest men have managed to infiltrate the construction of the largest wind farms in western Sicily. Giuseppe Grigoli was arrested in 2007.<br />
<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and busine
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: A sign of the Belicittà shopping center, confiscated from the entrepreneur Giuseppe Grigoli, accused of being a front man for the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, is seen here in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020. <br />
<br />
The entrepreneurial rise of Matteo Messina Denaro coincides with the beginning of his escape. In addition to the traditional sectors in which Cosa Nostra operates, such as the control of drug trafficking (thanks to Messina Denaro's contacts with the South American drug cartels), the boss began to expand his business into the large-scale distribution and alternative energy sectors. Money was thus laundered into supermarkets and shopping malls. Partner and front man of Matteo Messina Denaro was Giuseppe Grigoli, the so-called "king of supermarkets", owner of a giant retailer that managed the Despar supermarkets and the Belicittà shopping centre. Grigoli started his business with a small shop in 1974, and with the protection of the boss he managed to put together an empire of 750 million euros. Another great business is alternative energy, in particular wind power. Messina Denaro's closest men have managed to infiltrate the construction of the largest wind farms in western Sicily. Giuseppe Grigoli was arrested in 2007.<br />
<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have lon
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: A view of the Belicittà shopping center, confiscated from the entrepreneur Giuseppe Grigoli, accused of being a front man for the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, is seen here in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020. <br />
<br />
The entrepreneurial rise of Matteo Messina Denaro coincides with the beginning of his escape. In addition to the traditional sectors in which Cosa Nostra operates, such as the control of drug trafficking (thanks to Messina Denaro's contacts with the South American drug cartels), the boss began to expand his business into the large-scale distribution and alternative energy sectors. Money was thus laundered into supermarkets and shopping malls. Partner and front man of Matteo Messina Denaro was Giuseppe Grigoli, the so-called "king of supermarkets", owner of a giant retailer that managed the Despar supermarkets and the Belicittà shopping centre. Grigoli started his business with a small shop in 1974, and with the protection of the boss he managed to put together an empire of 750 million euros. Another great business is alternative energy, in particular wind power. Messina Denaro's closest men have managed to infiltrate the construction of the largest wind farms in western Sicily. Giuseppe Grigoli was arrested in 2007.<br />
<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have lon
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: An interior view of the Belicittà shopping center, confiscated from the entrepreneur Giuseppe Grigoli, accused of being a front man for the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, is seen here in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
The entrepreneurial rise of Matteo Messina Denaro coincides with the beginning of his escape. In addition to the traditional sectors in which Cosa Nostra operates, such as the control of drug trafficking (thanks to Messina Denaro's contacts with the South American drug cartels), the boss began to expand his business into the large-scale distribution and alternative energy sectors. Money was thus laundered into supermarkets and shopping malls. Partner and front man of Matteo Messina Denaro was Giuseppe Grigoli, the so-called "king of supermarkets", owner of a giant retailer that managed the Despar supermarkets and the Belicittà shopping centre. Grigoli started his business with a small shop in 1974, and with the protection of the boss he managed to put together an empire of 750 million euros. Another great business is alternative energy, in particular wind power. Messina Denaro's closest men have managed to infiltrate the construction of the largest wind farms in western Sicily. Giuseppe Grigoli was arrested in 2007.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: An interior view of the Belicittà shopping center, confiscated from the entrepreneur Giuseppe Grigoli, accused of being a front man for the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, is seen here in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
The entrepreneurial rise of Matteo Messina Denaro coincides with the beginning of his escape. In addition to the traditional sectors in which Cosa Nostra operates, such as the control of drug trafficking (thanks to Messina Denaro's contacts with the South American drug cartels), the boss began to expand his business into the large-scale distribution and alternative energy sectors. Money was thus laundered into supermarkets and shopping malls. Partner and front man of Matteo Messina Denaro was Giuseppe Grigoli, the so-called "king of supermarkets", owner of a giant retailer that managed the Despar supermarkets and the Belicittà shopping centre. Grigoli started his business with a small shop in 1974, and with the protection of the boss he managed to put together an empire of 750 million euros. Another great business is alternative energy, in particular wind power. Messina Denaro's closest men have managed to infiltrate the construction of the largest wind farms in western Sicily. Giuseppe Grigoli was arrested in 2007.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: The family tomb of the Messina Denaro family, a well known mafia family in the area, is seen here in the cemetery of Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: The family tomb of the Messina Denaro family, a well known mafia family in the area, is seen here in the cemetery of Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) walks towards his father's tomb at the cemetery in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa's shows his parents' wedding album in which they pose for a group picture with mafia boss and fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro (right) in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 201
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Horses are seen here in Giuseppe Cimarosa's horse riding center in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia f
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: The wedding album of Giuseppe Cimarosa's parents, Lorenzo and Rosa (center), posing for a group picture with mafia boss and fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro (right) in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Prove
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: The wedding album of Giuseppe Cimarosa's parents, Lorenzo and Rosa (center), posing for a group picture with mafia boss and fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro (right) in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Prove
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) cuddles his horse at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Ma
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) cuddles his horse at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Ma
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
<br />
Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
<br />
When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • FULGATORE, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: A wind farm is seen here in Fulgatore, Italy, on February 17th 2020. Mafia top boss Matteo Messina Denaro's closest men have managed to infiltrate the construction of the largest wind farms in western Sicily. <br />
<br />
In 2019 Vito Nicastri, a Sicilian wind farm businessman known as the “king of wind”, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for bankrolling the top mafia fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro. Investigators said Nicastri, who made his name as an alternative energy entrepreneur, had invested money made from criminal activities and had “high-level” contacts in the mafia and “close ties to Matteo Messina Denaro”. According to prosecutors, Nicastri allegedly acted as a middleman between local bosses and corrupt politicians, securing all the permits required to build and deliver hundreds of windfarm turbines to Spanish, Danish and Maltese operators, with profits finding their way back to Denaro.<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have long claimed that the boss, wanted for more than 50 murders, is being shielded by powerful Freemasons in Trapani.
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: A view of the Belicittà shopping center, confiscated from the entrepreneur Giuseppe Grigoli, accused of being a front man for the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, is seen here in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020. <br />
<br />
The entrepreneurial rise of Matteo Messina Denaro coincides with the beginning of his escape. In addition to the traditional sectors in which Cosa Nostra operates, such as the control of drug trafficking (thanks to Messina Denaro's contacts with the South American drug cartels), the boss began to expand his business into the large-scale distribution and alternative energy sectors. Money was thus laundered into supermarkets and shopping malls. Partner and front man of Matteo Messina Denaro was Giuseppe Grigoli, the so-called "king of supermarkets", owner of a giant retailer that managed the Despar supermarkets and the Belicittà shopping centre. Grigoli started his business with a small shop in 1974, and with the protection of the boss he managed to put together an empire of 750 million euros. Another great business is alternative energy, in particular wind power. Messina Denaro's closest men have managed to infiltrate the construction of the largest wind farms in western Sicily. Giuseppe Grigoli was arrested in 2007.<br />
<br />
<br />
Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known Mafia family) in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. <br />
Matteo Messina Denaro, who infamously claimed: “I filled a cemetery all by myself”, has apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle, thanks to his several bankrollers who, according to prosecutors, include politicians and businessmen. Investigators have lon
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • Catanzaro, Italy - 3 September, 2012: The president of Calabria region Giuseppe Scopelliti, 44, sits on a couch by his office in Catanzaro, Italy, on September 3rd, 2012. Mr Scopelliti from the People of Liberty party of the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is appealing a first-degree sentence in a corruption case and is under investigation on four separate charge.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120903_NYT_Calabria__MG_0386.jpg
  • Catanzaro, Italy - 3 September, 2012: The president of Calabria region Giuseppe Scopelliti, 44, sits on a couch by his office in Catanzaro, Italy, on September 3rd, 2012. Mr Scopelliti from the People of Liberty party of the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is appealing a first-degree sentence in a corruption case and is under investigation on four separate charge.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120903_NYT_Calabria__MG_0382.jpg
  • Castellace di Oppido Mamertina, Italy - 3 September, 2012: Francesco, a 32 years old worker for the non-profit organization Libera Terra, removes the burned roots of olive trees set on fire by the 'Ndrangheta (a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria) with a crane, 3 days after a digger was set on fire in the same field in Castellace di Oppido Mamertina, Italy, on September 3rd, 2012. Libera terra, which is a non profit organisation uses the land that has been confiscated to mafia bosses to produce a range of organic foods and wines, including olive oil, pasta, marmalades, jams, legumes and preserves as well as a large selection of typically southern Italian produce.<br />
<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120903_NYT_Calabria__MG_0279.jpg
  • Castellace di Oppido Mamertina, Italy - 3 September, 2012: Francesco, a 32 years old worker for the non-profit organization Libera Terra, removes the burned roots of olive trees set on fire by the 'Ndrangheta (a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria) with a crane, 3 days after a digger was set on fire in the same field in Castellace di Oppido Mamertina, Italy, on September 3rd, 2012. Libera terra, which is a non profit organisation uses the land that has been confiscated to mafia bosses to produce a range of organic foods and wines, including olive oil, pasta, marmalades, jams, legumes and preserves as well as a large selection of typically southern Italian produce.<br />
<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120903_NYT_Calabria__MG_0241.jpg
  • Castellace di Oppido Mamertina, Italy - 3 September, 2012: Francesco, a 32 years old worker for the non-profit organization Libera Terra, removes the burned roots of olive trees set on fire by the 'Ndrangheta (a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria) with a crane, 3 days after a digger was set on fire in the same field in Castellace di Oppido Mamertina, Italy, on September 3rd, 2012. Libera terra, which is a non profit organisation uses the land that has been confiscated to mafia bosses to produce a range of organic foods and wines, including olive oil, pasta, marmalades, jams, legumes and preserves as well as a large selection of typically southern Italian produce.<br />
<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120903_NYT_Calabria__MG_0179.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Pilgrims and a caribienere in high uniform, one of Italy's armed forces, wait for the end of the mass by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi under the supervision of the Italian Army to start the religious procession in Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9981.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Pilgrims gather outside the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9929.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Pilgrims gather in the square nearby Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9880.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Pilgrims sit on the wall by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9856.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Young men sit in the trunk of pickup truck on their way back from their pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9849.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A family stops for a brake before continuing their pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9840.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A woman looks out the rear seat window of of a car on her way to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9837.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A truck decorated with an image of Our Lady of Polsi (or Our Lady of the Mountain) returns from a pilgrimage to Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012.<br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9798.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: Three men overlook Polsi with its  church and monastery that are situated at the bottom of a gorge at an altitude of 865 metres surrounded by the high Aspromonte mountain in Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. The  sanctuary, could only reached by foot until a 3 years ago. <br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9783.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A statue of Our Lady of Polsi (or Our Lady of the Mountain) is seen here on the street that leads to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012.<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9746.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A truck decorated with an image of Our Lady of Polsi (or Our Lady of the Mountain) is seen here on the street that leads to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9737.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A cow is seen here in the woods of Aspromonte mountain by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. Aspromonte is a mountain massif which mean "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate<br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9708.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A mist-shrouded street in the Aspromonte mountain leads to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. Aspromonte is a mountain massif which mean "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate<br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9701.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A mist-shrouded street in the Aspromonte mountain leads to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. Aspromonte is a mountain massif which mean "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate<br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9692.jpg
  • San Luca, Italy - 2 September, 2012: An unfinished home is seen here in San Luca, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. San Luca, in the words of a study published in 2005 by Italy's domestic intelligence service, is the cradle of the 'Ndrangheta and its epicentre. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9664.jpg
  • San Luca, Italy - 2 September, 2012: View of the town of San Luca, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. San Luca, in the words of a study published in 2005 by Italy's domestic intelligence service, is the cradle of the 'Ndrangheta and its epicentre.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9654.jpg
  • Gambarie, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A truck tire is abandoned here in a field overlooking the province of Reggio Calabria in Gambarie, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_0119.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A 12 years old boy makes a U-turn with his scooter on the street that leads to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
<br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_0088.jpg
  • Polsi, Italy - 2 September, 2012: A tile decorated with the image of Our Lady of Polsi (or Our Lady of the Mountains) is sold here by the Sanctuary of Polsi together with other toys, including guns and rifles in Polsi, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. <br />
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi or Our lady of the Mountain, is a Christian sanctuary in the heart of the Aspromonte mountains, near San Luca in Calabria. The chiefs of the Calabrian criminal consortium, the 'Ndrangheta, have held annual meetings at the Sanctuary. According to the pentito Cesare Polifroni – a former member turned state witness – at these meetings, every boss must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_0071.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 1 September, 2012: An ad for a jewelry store is seen here in Polistena, a town in the mountainside of Aspromonte, a mountain massif which mean "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate. in Polistena, Italy, on September 1st, 2012.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9647.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: Unfinished tombs are seen here in the cemetery of Gioia Tauro, a mafia strongold in Calabria,  Italy, on September 1st, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redi
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9622.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: Unfinished tombs are seen here in the cemetery of Gioia Tauro, a mafia strongold in Calabria,  Italy, on September 1st, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redi
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9588.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: Unfinished tombs are seen here in the cemetery of Gioia Tauro, a mafia strongold in Calabria,  Italy, on September 1st, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redi
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9574.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: Unfinished tombs are seen here in the cemetery of Gioia Tauro, a mafia strongold in Calabria,  Italy, on September 1st, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redi
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9564.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy -1 September, 2012: The view of the valley landscape of Gioia Tauro by the port (on the left) in Gioia Tauro, a mafia stronghold in Italy, on September 1st, 2012. <br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9535.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: A Mercedes passes by on a hill overlooking the cemetery of Gioia Tauro (right), by the port in in Gioia Tauro, a mafia stronghold in Italy, on September 1st, 2012. <br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the b
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9492.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: A man walks by the river and an unfinished home in Gioia Tauro, Italy, a mafia stronghold on September 1st, 2012.  The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 mil
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9454.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 1 September, 2012: An immigrant rides his bike in front of an unfinished home and a BMW car parked on the sidewalk of a bar in Rosarno, Italy, a mafia stronghold on September 1st, 2012.  The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9429.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 1 September, 2012: A man on a Vespa passes by a storage area in Rosarno, Italy, a mafia stronghold on September 1st, 2012.<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9421.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 1 September: One of the hundreds of unshinished concrete buildings is here in Rosarno, Italy, a mafia stronghold on September 1st, 2012. The owner of the house, who lives in another house in Rosarno, ended up not finishing the house because her children moved to Germany. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9391.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 1 September, 2012: A car passes by some fields in Rosarno, Italy, a mafia stronghold on September 1st, 2012.<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9347.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 1 September, 2012: A young boy stands outside a Cafe with older men in Mileto, Italy, on September 1st, 2012.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120901_NYT_Calabria__MG_9317.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 31 August, 2012: A banner in the highschool says "We want Fabrizio back", referring to Fabrizio Pioli, a 38 years old man who was killed in February 2012 and whose body is still missing in  Rosano, Italy, a mafia stronghold on August 31, 2012. Fabrizio Pioli was apparently killed by the family of Simona Napoli, the married woman who Fabrizio had an affair with and whose father is a fugitive mafia boss.<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_9229.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 31 August, 2012:  Two palms overlook an unfinished building in the main street of Rosano, Italy, a mafia stronghold on August 31, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_9181.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 31 August, 2012: One of the hundreds of unshinished concrete buildings is here in Rosarno, Italy, a mafia stronghold on August 31, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_9087.jpg
  • Rosarno, Italy - 31 August, 2012: A truck selling religious and pagan plaster statues is here on the main street of Rosano, Italy, a mafia stronghold on August 31, 2012. <br />
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Rosarno is an agricultural area best known for the violent race riots that erupted here in January 2010. and for being a hotbed of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria. The local 'Ndrangheta dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses in the area, according to Francesco Forgione, a former head of Italy's parliamentary Antimafia Commission. In December 2008, the entire town council was dissolved on orders from the central government and replaced by a prefectoral commissioner because it had been infiltrated by 'Ndrangheta members and their known associates.<br />
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Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_9034.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 31 August, 2012: One of the hundreds of unshinished concrete buildings is here near the townhall in Gioia Tauro, Italy, a mafia stronghold on August 31, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
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The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded th
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8963.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 31 August, 2012: A young man sits on the side of the road in Gioia Tauro, Italy, a mafia stronghold on August 31, 2012. The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120831_NYT_Calabria__MG_8913.jpg
  • Gioia Tauro, Italy - 1 September, 2012: Unfinished tombs are seen here in the cemetery of Gioia Tauro, a mafia strongold in Calabria,  Italy, on September 1st, 2012. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
<br />
The current mayor of Gioia Tauro, Renato Bellofiore, was elected in 2010 after the former mayor and deputy mayor, Giorgio Dal Torrione and Rosario Schiavone, were arrested on Mafia charges in 2008. Both had been forced to step down when the city council was dissolved on suspicion of Mafia infiltration. Gioia Tauro is a city of 19,000 people built on an ancient Greek necrapolis and that today has the largest seaport in Italy and the sevent largest container port in Europe with its extension of 4,646 meters. Because the port is not connected to adeguate roads or rails, the ships mostly transfer containers to smaller vessels and little economic activity stays local. To authorities, the port is best known as the first point of entry for most of the cocaine that enters Europe from South America. In a routine rais earlier this month, authorities seized 176 kilos of pure cocaine with an estimated street value of 38 million euros.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redi
    CIPG_20120830_NYT_Calabria__MG_9584.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 30 August, 2012: The standard of the Province of Reggio Calabria is here in the council room of the Province Palace in Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 30, 2012.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120830_NYT_Calabria__MG_8541.jpg
  • Reggio Calabria, Italy - 30 August, 2012: President of the Province of Reggio Calabria Giuseppe Raffa, 53, smokes a sigarette in his office in Reggio Calabria, Italy, on August 30, 2012.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120830_NYT_Calabria__MG_8487.jpg
  • CASTELVETRANO, ITALY - 17 FEBRUARY 2020: Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) poses for a portrait at his horse riding center. in Castelvetrano, Italy, on February 17th 2020.<br />
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Giuseppe Cimarosa (36) was born into a Mafia family. He is a relative of Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy’s most wanted Cosa Nostra godfather, on the run since 1993. Furthermore, investigators have long believed that Giuseppe’s father, Lorenzo, occasionally provided “support” for the fugitive godfather. “My mother is a first cousin of Matteo Messina Denaro and my father was arrested as part of the Eden investigation [involving Messina Denaro]. I live in Castelvetrano [Messina Denaro’s home town in Sicily, near Trapani] and I’m having a hard time . . .”, Mr Cimarosa said.<br />
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When the police came to arrest his father in 2013, Giuseppe was furious. There and then he wanted to again leave Sicily and return to Rome where he had lived and worked with horses for eight years in his 20s. He was disgusted that his father had again fallen into the clutches of their powerful relative. It was only when he went to visit his father in prison, immediately after his arrest, that Giuseppe changed his mind. In tears, his father told him that he was going to collaborate with the investigators, which he subsequently did. Realising how much his father was now risking, he opted not just to stay in Castelvetrano but also, in a certain sense, to fight back against the Mafia. What is more, he does so, not with a false identity as part of a witness protection programme, but rather by staying in his home town. His father, Lorenzo Cimarosa, died of cancer in 2017.<br />
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Described as “the last Mohican of the old mafia”, Matteo Messina Denaro (57) is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, who has been in hiding since 1993. He was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017. He was born into the Denaro Family (a well-known
    CIPG_20200217_EL-PAIS_MatteoMessinaD...jpg
  • Catanzaro, Italy - 3 September, 2012: The president of Calabria region Giuseppe Scopelliti, 44, sits on a couch by his office in Catanzaro, Italy, on September 3rd, 2012. Mr Scopelliti from the People of Liberty party of the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is appealing a first-degree sentence in a corruption case and is under investigation on four separate charge.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120903_NYT_Calabria__MG_0337.jpg
  • San Luca, Italy - 2 September, 2012: An unfinished home is seen here in San Luca, a mafia stronghold in Calabria, Italy, on September 2nd, 2012. San Luca, in the words of a study published in 2005 by Italy's domestic intelligence service, is the cradle of the 'Ndrangheta and its epicentre. The unfinished concrete buildings, which are very common throughout Calabria, are the result of the inability to go beyond the merely useful, creating functionality without regard for form.<br />
<br />
Calabria is one of the poorest Italian regions which suffers from lack of basic services (hospitals without proper equipment, irregular electricity and water), the product of disparate political interests vying for power. The region is dominated by the 'Ndrangheta (pronounced en-Drang-get-A), which authorities say is the most powerful in Italy because it is the welthiest and best organized.<br />
<br />
The region today has nearly 20 percent unemployment, 40 percent youth unemployment and among the lowest female unemployment and broadband Internet levels in Italy. Business suffer since poor infrastructure drives up transport costs.<br />
<br />
Last summer the European Union's anti-fraud office demanded that Italy redirect 380 million euros in structural funding away from the A3 Salerno - Reggio Calabria highway after finding widespread evidence of corruption in the bidding processes.
    CIPG_20120902_NYT_Calabria__MG_9659.jpg
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