Ciaculli is an outlying village (or ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'') of

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is located in the south-eastern area of Palermo Metropolitan City. It counts less than 9,500 residents. Ciaculli is close to the suburb of Croceverde. It is one of the last countryside area still dedicated to agricultural activities in the municipality (or ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

''). The suburb is separated from the city centre by the A19 motorway, which form its northern border. The southern border is delimited by the slopes of Mount Griffith (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: Monte Grifone).

Organized crime

Ciaculli was an important place in the history of

Cosa Nostra The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a 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 protect ...

, the Sicilian mafia. Greco Mafia clan was originally from this place and, given its notoriety in the news, linked the village to the image of organized crime. In 1963 the suburb was marked by frequent clashes during the First Mafia War. On June 30, 1963, seven police and military officers lost their lives due to a

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

, which according to later reconstructions was intended for the mafia boss Salvatore Greco. The event, which triggered a strong reaction from the

Italian government The government of Italy is that of a democratic republic, established by the Italian constitution in 1948. It consists of Legislature, legislative, Executive (government), executive, and Judiciary, judicial subdivisions, as well as of a head of ...

and led to the creation of the Antimafia Commission, is known as the Ciaculli massacre. In the 1980s the Second Mafia War brought a new series of attacks and murders to Ciaculli. The Grecos split into two factions, one close to the new

Corleonesi Mafia clan The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella. Corleonesi affiliates wer ...

from

Corleone Corleone (; or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily. Many Sicilian Mafia, Mafia bosses both in Sicily and the United States have come from the town of Corleone, inclu ...

, and the other close to the Palermo old clans. In 1982, mafia member and hitman Giuseppe Greco, after surviving an ambush, forced the residents of the suburb who did not offer guarantees for his safety to leave. Between 2019 and 2024, a series of investigations by the police forces of Italy shown that the Grecos still play a significant role in the management of criminal activities conducted in Ciaculli, especially the money extortion (or ''pizzo'') from local businesses and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

. In January 2019 a police raid foiled an attempt by new bosses, including Michele Greco's nephew, to restore the old mafia dome.

References

External links

Italian site on the Ciaculli Agricultural Park
Zones of Palermo Greco Mafia clan {{Sicily-geo-stub