Sicilian getaways
Sicily’s
rugged beauty and chequered heritage make it an attractive getaway – in the
romantic, not in the Mafia sense of the word. In fact, far from being a shadowy
underworld populated by secretive families and deadly vows of silence, this
beautiful Mediterranean isle – with its eclectic mix of history, culture,
cuisine and laid-back living – is a charming, if often crumbling, retreat.
December 2006
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©2006 K.
Maes |
Crime of
omission
Sicily is teeming with contrasts: a rich history
and culture shielded from significant outside attention by its contemporary
obscurity, a part of Italy and apart from it, beautiful architecture and
unsightly urban squalor, a multicultural past and a largely unicultural
present.
Thanks in no small measure to Hollywood’s
voracious appetite for organised crime flicks, the mafia is probably Sicily’s
most famous export. But it is a crime that this intriguing Mediterranean island
is not equally famed for its culture, history and natural beauty.
Naturally, the idea that the man in a designer
suit and shades speeding down a narrow alleyway on his Vespa is a mafia hitman
or that the harmless-looking old men sitting on a bench speaking – unusually
for Mediterranean people – in hushed whispers are actually two wisened dons
negotiating a secret truce between their feuding underworld familia are
appealing fictions.
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©2006
K. Diab |
But the reality of the island is much more
humdrum and visitors are unlikely to come across any direct evidence of the
Mafia’s existence. Although some estimates suggest the mafia represents a full
tenth of Italy’s GDP, its presence is a discreet one and, like an exoplanet,
often has to be inferred by the amount of light it bends, or poverty it
generates.
The mafia is not even called that by insiders.
They call it Cosa Nostra (Our Thing). The word ‘mafia’ apparently
first appeared in fiction – in an 1863 play, in fact – before it was ever used
in reality. There are different theories on where the term ‘mafia’ originates.
Interestingly, they are all in some way linked to Arabic. One theory has it
that the word comes from mafiusu (an old Sicilian term meaning
boastful/cocky which is derived from the Arabic mahjas). Attitudinally
speaking, that would make many a swaggering Italian a Mafioso by gait alone.
ã2006
K. Diab. Unless otherwise stated, all the content on this website is the
copyright of Khaled Diab.