Anti-Mafia map shows where to shop in Sicilian capital
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.German tourists can now obtain a map of Sicily's capital Palermo flagging the shops that refuse to pay extortion money to the Mafia, the German embassy in Rome said in a statement Thursday.
"The Addiopizzo tourist map signals all the shops in Palermo that... have pledged not to pay racketeering fees," the statement said.
The Sicilian mafia, the Cosa Nostra, extorts money from many businesses on the island, notably in Palermo.
Ambassador Michael Steiner decided to finance the German-language map because "Germans are the largest tourist contingent in Sicily, both in terms of numbers and spending," the embassy said.
The map is geared towards "two groups who have common interests: the people of Palermo who love their city, and German tourists who love Palermo and do not want to support racketeering," the statement said.
The map was inspired by the Addiopizzo (Goodbye Extortion) organisation, which calls itself an "open movement" made up of "shopkeepers and consumers who recognise themselves in the phrase 'People who pay extortion money are people without dignity'."
The phrase first appeared in June 2004 on stickers in the streets of central Palermo and is credited with launching the Addiopizzo movement, which today counts among its supporters hundreds of enterpreneurs and shopkeepers who have publicly come out against racketeering.
The first print run of the map, which will be available through German tour operators in Italy, totalled 10,000 copies, the embassy told AFP.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments