Corleone — the legendary cradle of the Sicilian mafia
In life, truth often borders on fiction. It is not known for certain whether Mario Puzo (author of The Godfather) knew the real story of Corleone or simply pointed his finger at the map of Sicily, but literary fantasies created a romantic halo around this place, and reality made them believe in them.
As a result, the Sicilian town of Corleone as the “birthplace of the mafia” became known far beyond the borders of the island.
However, here, in fact, many powerful leaders of Cosa Nostra were born, who have become legends: Luciano Ligio (headed the group in 1958–1974); Salvatore Riina (leader 1974–1993); his successor, Bernardo Provenzano, who fled from justice for almost 40 years and was arrested in 2006 just outside the town of Corleone.
These people with their activities destroyed thousands of people, hundreds of thousands mutilated their lives. All of them, after being arrested and sentenced to life sentences, after some time, ended their life in prison hospitals.
By the way, after the arrest of Provenzano, Easter processions in hoods that completely cover their faces were again allowed in the city. 40 years ago, this tradition was banned, because criminals, hiding under such hoods, killed their opponents during the procession.
A few years ago, a museum was opened here, which contains police cases on mafia crimes in Sicily, starting from the 80s of the last century.
Francis Coppola wanted to shoot the Sicilian episodes of The Godfather in the town of Corleone, by the will of the writer who became the birthplace of Vito Andolini, who later turned into Don Corleone. However, the locals did not like it very much. What was said by the Yankees from the Hollywood “dream factory”, history is silent, but the film crew considered it good to leave the inhospitable town.
Corleone is already another Sicily, unlike the usual landscapes of resort towns with palm trees and beaches. Al Pacino’s hero, Michael, walked in such places when he fled to Sicily from New York after a criminal showdown. It was somewhere in these places on a small farm that the real “godfather” Provenzano was hiding. And again, the story is intertwined with the legend, but it so happened that Al Pacino’s grandfather and grandmother on the mother’s side came from this town of Corleone!
Today, Corleone has approximately 12,000 inhabitants. And it is similar to many towns in Sicily: all the same streets squeezed by houses, where two cars barely disperse, the same linen on the balconies. The town is very ancient, with a rich history. In the vicinity of the city you can see the ruins of ancient fortresses, the remains of very ancient settlements. Corleone existed in pre-Roman times
One of the streets of the city is called April 11, 2006. On this day, Bernardo Provenzano was arrested.
Most of the leaders of the criminal world are now serving their prison sentences, and wheat is grown on their lands. This wheat is used to produce Italian pasta, part of the proceeds of which goes to the Mafia Victims Fund. These are the Italian laws — after the arrest and trial, all the property of the mafia goes to the state treasury. I think this is fair!
