PIZZO IN PALERMO

It seems the people of Palermo and Sicily are fighting back against domination by the Mafia.

From the BBC News website:

Centre-left candidate Walter Veltroni has now spoken of being part of "a political force which will destroy the criminality that saps energy from this land" and Mr Berlusconi has said his party is "incompatible" with the Mafia, pointing to the series of arrests during his time in office.
Angelino Alfano, a 37-year-old MP within Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom alliance says the sea-change on the streets of Palermo, with companies refusing to pay into the racket, represents "the end of an era of fear."
"Too many firms still pay the pizzo, but there has been a massive rebellion. A lot of companies have decided to trust the state and believe the state will protect them."

Full article here

Count Orazio Falier, whose son in law is a certain Commisario Guido Brunetti, has taken to calling Sicily and Calabria "Occupied Territories" so obviously the optimistic news of the Mafia's demise has not yet reached Venice.