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Mandamento (Sicilian Mafia)
Within the Cosa Nostra, a mandamento is traditionally a district of three geographically contiguous Mafia cosche, which are families controlling a single land feud, or a city ward, in Sicily. A capomandamento represents the head of a territory, the mandamento, and is usually entitled to be part of the provincial Mafia Commission.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 53 List of mandamenti Palermo – The city of Palermo is divided into 8 local mandamenti: Porta Nuova, Brancaccio, Boccadifalco, Passo di Rigano, Santa Maria di Gesù, Noce, Pagliarelli, Resuttana and San Lorenzo. Province of Palermo – The province of Palermo is divided into 7 mandamenti: Camporeale (born from the merger of the mandamenti of Partinico and San Giuseppe Jato), Corleone, Cinisi, Bagheria, Trabia, Belmonte Mezzagno, San Mauro Castelverde. Province of Agrigento – The province of Agrigento consists of 10 mandamenti: Agrigento, Santa Elisabetta, Porto Empedocle, Canicattì, Cianciana, Ribera, Samb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sicilian Mafia
The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of local protection and control over land and agriculture, the Mafia gradually evolved into a powerful criminal network. By the mid-20th century, it had infiltrated politics, construction, and finance, later expanding into drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes. At its core, the Mafia engages in protection racketeering, arbitrating disputes between criminals, and organizing and overseeing illegal agreements and transactions. The basic group is known as a "Crime family, family", "clan", or ''cosca''. Each family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town, village or neighborhood (''borgata'') of a larger city, in which it operates its Racketeering, rackets. Its members call themselves "Made man, men of honour", although ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Mauro Castelverde
San Mauro Castelverde ( Sicilian: ''Santu Màuru'') is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in Sicily, southern Italy. San Mauro Castelverde had an estimated population of 1,634. Notable persons from San Mauro Castelverde include Santa Biondo, who immigrated to the United States as a child and became famous as an opera singer during the 1930s."Atti di Nascita", Ufficio dello Stato Civile, San Mauro Castelverde, Palermo. 1892. Record 194. International relations San Mauro Castelverde is twinned with: * Quilmes, Argentina * Rush, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ... References Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Palermo {{sicily-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Castelvetrano
Castelvetrano () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy. The archeological site of Selinunte is located within the municipal territory. The municipality borders with Campobello di Mazara, Mazara del Vallo, Menfi, Montevago, Partanna, Salemi and Santa Ninfa. History The first recorded mentions of Castelvetrano in the historical record date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 15th century, records exist of a federation of local cities which includes Castelvetrano. The church of St. John, outside the city walls, dates back to this period and was founded in 1412. Economy The economy is based predominantly on farming, with the cultivation of vines and olive trees being the main focus. Woodworking (mainly furniture) is also an important sector. Both Valle del Belìce olive oil and Nocellara del Belice DOP table olives have a protected status in the European Union. Main sights The center of Castelvetrano consists of three linke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Province Of Trapani
The province of Trapani (; ; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by the free municipal consortium of Trapani (Italian: ''libero consorzio comunale di Trapani''). Its capital is the city of Trapani. It has an area of and a total population of 411,396 as of 2025. There are 25 ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in the province (see List of municipalities of the Province of Trapani, ''comuni'' of the province of Trapani). History The area now covered by the province was occupied successively by the Punic people, Carthaginians, Ancient Greece, Greeks and latterly by the Roman Empire, Romans. The port of Trapani, first known as Drepana, then Drepanon, was inhabited by the Sicani and the Elymians, Elymi becoming a prosperous Phoenicia, Phoenician trading centre by the 8th century BC. It was taken by the Carthaginians in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Campobello Di Licata
Campobello di Licata () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about east of Agrigento. Physical geography Territory Campobello di Licata is a hilly town in the province of Agrigento, located on a plateau of the Salso river valley at 316 m above sea level. The territory, which has an extension of about 80 km², borders with Ravanusa, Naro and Licata; the resident population is 9,616 inhabitants; it is 51 km from the provincial capital. Its borders are delimited to the west by the Canale torrent and to the east by the Milici torrent. Furthermore, Campobello di Licata is only 4 km from Ravanusa. History In the 11th century, the Castello di Bifar was built in Campobello di Licata. It was destroyed in the earthquake of 1693. Contemporary Age Important public works are from the end of the 19th century, mainly by the mayor Salvatore Ciotta: drinking water fountains, l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palma Di Montechiaro
Palma di Montechiaro () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, southern Italy. Many Greek archaeological findings of Magna Graecia have been found near the town. Formerly known as Palma, in 1863, Montechiaro was added to the name, in honour of the Chiaramonte family whose stronghold is close to the town. Controversy In 2002, ''La Repubblica'' reported the presence of the prominent Italian politician Angelino Alfano (a Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ... protégé) at the 1996 wedding of the daughter of Croce Napoli (died 2001), believed by investigators to be the Mafia boss of Palma di Montechiaro, as shown on an amateur video of the party. Alfano, then a deputy of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, was greeted with affecti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Casteltermini
Casteltermini is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italy, Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about north of Agrigento. Casteltermini borders the following municipalities: Acquaviva Platani, Aragona, Cammarata, Campofranco, San Biagio Platani, Sant'Angelo Muxaro, Santo Stefano Quisquina, Sutera. History Casteltermini was founded in 1629 by the local noble Gian Vincenzo Maria Termini e Ferreri, hence the name. Casteltermini is noted for its extensive mines of halite, rock salt and sulfur, sulphur.New International Encyclopedia Demographics Main sights *Chiesa Madre - "Mother Church" *Church of San Giuseppe *Hermitage of Santa Croce *Church of Madonna del Carmelo *Church of Jesus and Mary *Antiquarium *Ethnographic Museum *Memorial of World War I and II Veterans, located in the city center in front of the Chiesa Madre. The names on the upper half represent the veterans of World War I. The names listed on the l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sambuca Di Sicilia
Sambuca di Sicilia ( Sicilian: ''Sammuca'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southwest of Palermo and about northwest of Agrigento. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Sambuca di Sicilia borders the following municipalities; Bisacquino, Caltabellotta, Contessa Entellina, Giuliana, Menfi, Santa Margherita di Belice, and Sciacca. History The origins of the name Sambuca are uncertain. The main assumptions: from the Greek stringed instrument ''Sambuca'''' ''; or from ''Sambucus'', commonly referred to as elderberry plants, widespread since antiquity in the valley of Lake Arancio. Leonardo Sciascia breaks down the name Sambuca in ''As-Sambuqah'' and interprets it as a "remote place". Until 1928 the town was called Sambuca Zabut. In 1928, Benito Mussolini removed "Zabut" and added "di Sicilia". Sambuca, founded by ancient Greek colonists, rose to regional ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ribera, Agrigento
Ribera (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Rivela'') is a ''comune'' in the province of Agrigento, Region of Sicily, southern Italy, between the Verdura and Magazzolo valleys in the so-called Plain of San Nicola. The town is connected by the SS115 state road, leading from Trapani to Syracuse, Sicily, Syracuse. The Platani River, the third Sicilian river, flows nearby. It has enormously contributed to developing both farming and tourism in the area. Its mouth has been designated as a natural reserve. History The comune probably rose on the site of the ancient Allava, to which the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine necropolis near the modern town may possibly be attributed. In 1627, Luigi Guglielmo Moncada, Prince of Paternò, founded a new centre named after his wife, Maria Alfan di Ribera; the new centre developed rapidly, thanks to the fertility of the soil and the accessibility of the area. It is the birthplace of Prime Minister Francesco Crispi. Main sights Sights include: *The Chiesa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cianciana
Cianciana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located in the middle valley of the Platani river, about south of Palermo and about northwest of Agrigento. The Monte Cammarata, elevation above sea level, part of the Monti Sicani chain, is nearby. Cianciana borders the following municipalities: Alessandria della Rocca, Bivona, Cattolica Eraclea, Ribera, Sant'Angelo Muxaro. History The village is situated on the valley of the River Platani and is surrounded by the Sicani Mountains, and was originally inhabited the Cretans in the second millennium BC. Cianciana also was conquered by Greeks, Romans and Arabs. According to local chronicles, a town known as ''La Ferla'' existed in the area in 1269. This was likely destroyed by an earthquake. Archaeological excavations have found traces of Roman temples and other constructions, including a "castle" called ''Casaletto di Chincana'', whence the name given to the area in the feudal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canicattì
Canicattì (; ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about east of Agrigento. In 2024, it had a population of 34,295. History The archaeological remains in the city and in the neighbourhood testify the presence of a settlement before the Roman age. The name of Canicattì is of Arabic origin, from ', meaning 'clay ditch'. During the conquest of Sicily by the Normans, the local Muslim lord was besieged and defeated by baron Salvatore Palmieri (1087), a follower of Roger I of Sicily: the latter, as reward, offered him a sword and the lordship over the fief. Under the Palmieri rule the Arab fortress was enlarged, becoming a true castle with a tower. The Normans were followed by the Hohenstaufen and the French Angevines, in turn ousted by the House of Barcelona. In 1448 the fief of Canicattì was ceded by Antonio Palmieri, who was heirless, to his nephew Andrea De Crescen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Porto Empedocle
Porto Empedocle () is a town and ''comune'' in Italy on the coast of the Strait of Sicily, administratively part of the province of Agrigento. It was named after Empedocles, a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of the city of Akragas (present-day Agrigento), in his day a Greek colony in Sicily. The primary industries of Porto Empedocle are agriculture, fishing, ironworking, pharmaceuticals and rock salt refining. Physical geography Climate Porto Empedocle is the second ''comune'' with the lowest amount of degree days in Italy. It is in the climatic zone A of the . History Born as a port zone in the old Girgenti, today called Agrigento, under the name of Marina di Girgenti (seashore of Girgenti), since in the 15th century it was the main cereal trading centre of the region. From 1549 to 1554, by order of the viceroy Vega, Torre del caricatore of Girgenti, already known during the ancient times (as it probably already existed before the Angevin period), was rest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
