Island of Sicily: The People vs The Mafia | Full Episode | TRACKS

Italy a magnificent country it's all here it's quite breathtaking a place where I feel deeply connected this is where my grandmother pollutes is journey began in this series I'm returning but I'm leaving the mainland to explore Italy's extraordinary islands revisiting memories haven't been here since I was a child and I thought I'd make a pilgrimage and building new ones Wow nobody ballin ballin ballin I mean this is one of the maddest things I've ever done [Applause] feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience on a journey of discovery from the ancient rugged beauty of Sardinia the remains here at spine-tingling to the splendor and surprises of Sicily and some of the Mediterraneans hidden treasures that does just feel a million miles away from anywhere else at this it's one of Sicily's most striking secrets I can't believe it it's been too long this is my Italian island adventure my Island escapade has brought me to Sicily the largest island in the Mediterranean mystical and ancient Sicily is a crossroads of cultures where the east meets the west when I was a student I went at a car and traveled the island with a friend it was a magical journey this time I'm traveling across the north from the bustling and BER witching city of Palermo inland to the little-known Gangi recently crowned the prettiest village in Italy ending up on the east coast and the ancient and beautiful city of Syracuse but I'm starting in the island's enigmatic capital palermo I absolutely love Palermo there's a lot of urban sprawl but there's so much beauty it's the fifth most populated city in Italy around 1.2 million people call this hot and humid city home with an international airport Palermo is easily accessible from anywhere but when you need sixes it's hives of chaotic streets in disheveled buildings can seem intimidating to even the most hardened traffic it's slightly scary city if you've never been here before but it repays bounteous Lee all your patience and investment because there's so much to discover it's one of the great cities of Europe any opportunities come whereas a good one a melting pot of history and culture Palermo is like a beautiful day in decay it may not have the splendor of Florence or the romance of Rome but Palermo has so much to offer like the iconic tatra Massimo this colossal theater is the largest in Italy and the third largest in Europe but it's when you head into its honeycomb of side streets that you find the real surprises and perhaps the most beguiling is Palazzo Gangi from the outside you would have no idea of what lies behind this unassuming door yet inside is the most sumptuous private residence in Sicily or maybe the whole of Europe a masterpiece of the Baroque style the Palazzo was constructed in the 18th century by the prince and princess of Gangi it's still owned by the same family today on appointment the current owner Princess Corrine opens her doors to the public but today I'm lucky to have been granted my own private for you well this is what I call a bull wing people come to Palermo just to come to Palazzo Gandhi and looking at this you can really understand why it transports you back to a completely different world it's very seductive what's astonishing is the family have spent 20 years restoring this place with no state age it is a labor of love and that is evident everywhere you turn good lord it's not often that a room can leave me breathless but this way apparently it was designed as a forest of gold look at that chandelier it's got 102 arms imagine trying to clean it [Music] I had heard that this is one of the treasures of Sicily but you know what I don't think I was quite expecting this I've never seen a room like it this is Versailles on a domestic scale I wanted I do I went to AA what can I say except I've got room Envy [Music] the history of this city is not just evident in its precious Pulitzers and grand crumbling churches as a city that has survived centuries of raids invasions and conquests it can also be found in the foods that sold on its streets Salvatori is a street food connoisseur the mean and the first reason was the best way to feed the most poor part of the population actually aller mo is the first city in Europe for Street food and the number 5 in the world salvitore likens Palermo to the layers of a lasagne each one are different foreign influence the Arabs ruled Sisley for centuries and they have left a lasting culinary legacy here in Poland this is one of the most important place for street food in Palermo here you can find like the best chickpeas fried of the city Salvatore has brought me to franco over sodaro a bar that sells chickpea fritters a cheap and hugely popular snack in this city this is an easy way industry just a few seconds in the oil lovely thank you so much the lemon is really important and you will see it's always the last step in our street food culture because gonna disinfect the food just before you're gonna eat flour and so the key of like street food it's implements few ingredients simplicity [Music] another Arabic speciality that you'll see the locals feasting on is arancini giant fried rice balls arancini means little oranges in Sicilian and these hefty globes can be found all over Palermo but Salvatore says the best ones are here at bartering in the city center you're gonna put the meat in the center like the heart of the dish dang you're gonna cover the meat with the rice and then you fry for few seconds in the oil but in this bar the best way that they found is use a large - Friday and you will see delicious no this is not going to be a Dietetic no totally no thank you so the meat in the center then the rice and that the shell lovely the arancini here weigh close to half a kilo my goodness eat one of these and I don't think you'd be moving very far very far for the rest of the day [Music] the final stop on our gastronomic tour of Palermo is not for the faint-hearted this is not your typical Italian food here we are talking about spleen sandwich which is like the king of our street food at some point a lot of Jewish came here in Sicily they not only created the street food but they also create the way to cook the street food in the street recently descent which won the title of the best food foods for support of Italy and the chef Nino when you prepare a sandwich it will dance Nino is legendary here in Palermo his bar is the place to eat spilling sandwich but to eat it you need a strong stomach goes in there inside we have a 3d printer hor against Lang Tonga and spleen and its long tongue and spear because they're cheap parts ok exactly so this is Palermo in a bind we left you without work that's delicious I think I agree with Salvatore M it is Palermo in a bun unusual edgy but well worth the risk and I'm about to take another as I discover Palermo's dark side it's impossible to take a historical tour of Palermo and do it justice without exploring its dark and sinister side for Sicily is a motherland of the Mafia and the specter of La Cosa Nostra has long since haunted the streets of this city [Music] but as the Mafia's grip on Sicily loosens you can feel Palermo emerging from the shadows of its ugly past this shift can be traced back to one brave man the anti-mafia judged Giovanni Falcone he lost his life fighting the scourge of the Mafia as we drive through the north of the city you may come across a strange makeshift shrine to fall corner in front of the house where he lived is a tree of devotion where the people of Palermo pay their personal respects to this most beloved son of the city when Falcone died in 1992 there were sock waves around the world it had been quite easy to think of the Mafia until then as something that existed in The Godfather and they were made slightly glamorous this in fact was the reality that someone who is fighting so hard to bring kind of honor back into the judicial system here was brutally murdered I think we all felt that there was an innocence that died that day and that we had to face the reality that was more listening messages of solidarity and remembrance hang from the Falcone tree it's a touching memorial I was 22 and folk wanna die did and my family would talk back to him a lot and about what he was trying to do with Italy and it was a source of honor that he was so brave and so determined so fearless there's never enough people like that in the world tears when he died I think it was a moment of real shock for Italy and for Italians all over the world the assassination was retaliation for the mobsters Falcone had put behind bars most visitors traveling into fled will drive the fateful journey that Falcone took that day and cappucci and a stretch of the motorway between the airport and the city he was traveling with his wife and three bodyguards when his Fiat Croma was obliterated by a huge bomb placed beneath the road a mafia hitman detonated the bomb as the car drove over it the explosion made a crater 30 feet in diameter after we blew up that stretch of road was hiding waiting and watching folk on it all they had particularly planned this whole operation and it was done to say the my over mafia these pillars designate the exact spot where it happened it was such a big explosion amazing with empty decimating people the killing didn't stop with Falcone paolo borsellino his closest collaborator and dearest friend was also brutally murdered these shocking events left an indelible mark on the people of the city the nice thing is that remembered daily in the lives they are hero-worship by generations but alongside it's more sobering sites the city today is proud to show its visitors how the tide is turning against organized crime from their office in Palermo a group of idealistic young Sicilians run a grassroots movement called a deal Pizza Pizza is a Sicilian slang for the protection money that the Mafia managed to extort from about 80% of small businesses in Palermo this group's bold idea is to cut off that supply which reportedly provides mouth gain southern Italy an estimated 20 billion euros a year in a quiet Park in the city I'm meeting Eduardo a co-founder of the organization for his guided tour of some of the businesses who have bravely stood up and said no to the Mafia in 2004 so it's more than 10 years ago now and it was born because of a group of young people who had a fantastic idea to print us some stickers with a anti-mafia slogan and to pepper the town basically by night in order to push the people to be aware of one of the main product of Palermo it's the protection of money so is the system of extortion run by the Mafia when the Mafia killed the prosecutors bounce I was a teenager our generation are all like was shocked by what happened so somehow this event really was a turning point for our generation in particular and as soon as someone had the idea of the stickers someone had the idea of doing something for this town we we were there we felt that it was our turn to do something but it was when the campaign reached out to consumers that it really gained momentum it looks like you know those signs beware to the dog you know so it's like pay attention if you dare to get in inside and try to get the money from us we will report you to the police immediately so basically the Mafia stay away from the shops that has design on it it's a declaration it's a statement here we don't pay protection money we don't pay pizzas we are not contributing to the market so they know that when they come here there definitely not a penny of what's going to I was going to ask you it's very clever thing today you can eat shop and sleep in over a thousand establishments that have signed up to the ant extortion charter we had proof that the Mafia scared of the people who have the courts who stay together and rebelled yes some mafiosi after being arrested actually confessed the demacia want to stay away from a shop that's a good sign oh yes yes they're like a sort of testimonial luckily for me my fascination with this courageous movement has brought my tour of Palermo around to one of my favorite subjects Faton because one of the first companies to commit to the ideal pizza movement happens to be a choral Pacific ladies who lovingly stitched together a legendary Sicilian hat the Coppola goes back to peasant times in the 1930s this humble hat was claimed by mafiosi who wore it twisted to the side [Music] from its headquarters in the hills just outside Palermo lakopolous tadka is striving to repair its damaged reputation and we invent the Coppola for a new generation the driving force of their ambition is head stylists team Dara [Music] her shop in the center of Palermo is full of copulas of all styles fabrics and colors Eastern Ostrom on the lock amazing now Coppola and Co breakup of seen borders costumey Siciliano that I'm Gianni on a story a monster antique kaput troppo nice tempo Kabuto they didn't total no stereo tipo de una cultura de Terry or a girl of personality she Nia Lester especial at least a common symbology mafia arriviste an impious Adira a common additions empress Ella participated in bucovina Burton Siciliano mafiosos quest may I be able to come di Rivera meant so I have to love because you know the coppola the shape of this hat came from Great Britain she's very proud of the fact that although this was stereotypically a man's hat and it denoted a certain kind of person now they produce almost as many hats for women as they do for men and it has become a fashion item will prevail it but I think up kind of phosphorylation I want to try some [Music] look at my uncle that's really fun I love this a Bella Colorado goner the serious and muted shades of the Coppola now designs of every color and pattern emblazon these hats Rosso Karina see I like it for around 50 euros it's possible to take home a hand-stitched piece of Sicilian history thank you or this this is definitely the one I've been really inspired by what I found out about pallid wellness afternoon and the people who are trying so hard to change the stereotypes that have the devil this island for so long Sicily is no longer that land of the maca myth there is a lot more to it than that as I'm about to discover as a head inland had the remote and wild Sicilian interior I'm heading inland from the delights of Palermo to the mountainous Sicilian interior and the gorgeous town of Gandhi only a few hours drive from the capital this remote region is breathtakingly beautiful you'll see wide-open vistas of bountiful fields dramatic rocky outcrops and picturesque villages like this one that cling impossibly to the hillsides when people come to Sicily they tend to stick to the coast and it's a great shame that these parts are yet relatively undiscovered they really repay a little bit of time and energy because they're so unspoiled it's absolutely stunning there are any number of beautiful villages nestled here in the mountains but there's one place I had to see as you approach it the hilltop town of Gangi literally cascades down the hillside it's a sight to behold but this town is more than meets the eye here one innovative man has orchestrated the complete transformation of ganges fortunes today gonji is on the tourist trail but that's not always been the case when he first arrived as man people had left and abandoned their historic homes and we're moving down the hill so he decided to restore the center as it was before and slowly but surely recreating the atmosphere that it once was here and making it a kind of perfect in the eight years he has been in office mayor Farrell air law and his team have worked tirelessly to repopulate the historic center new museums art galleries and a busy calendar of festivals among many initiatives to bring the town back to life of all mayor farah naaz plans the most impressive is also the most radicals and annoy a vendor problema the Moltisanti and historic abandon are being able to Westie there but premature and a monopoly predicament not surprising on paper his scheme sounds like complete madness they realized that they had 500 empty houses so he sent out the word there were houses to be had here for nothing the only catch is that the new owner has to sign an agreement to spend around 35,000 euros refurbishing it within 5 years so far they have 50 houses that have been rebuilt and 2,000 requests for houses currently on the books he doesn't want people just to buy them as an investment he wants this to be a living village and so it's very important to him that people have some kind of connection with the place that they're going to keep coming back and that they feel Fuller's in love with Gangi as he is and many have over a hundred people from around the world have bought into the scheme lured by the charm and relaxed rhythms of Gangi and I think the mayor may be trying to lure another there's one property he seems very keen to show me it's got a new Miss Joan and obviously huge possibilities because of this novel approach the revival has allowed the local economy to flourish providing employment and energizing tourism here it's a truly remarkable turnaround this is literally the before and after in front of our eyes the house before it was restructured with this horrible cement and the house after it where you have all the stone exposed as beautiful isn't it [Music] so to talk west Oh a vote okay result Otto resulted enorme ill majora naturalmente kom igen ATandT agenda throb Archie muhammad abu taught and is Americana cement le vélo Nacional Internacional nel demi lovato did you say Madhavan tato gilmore go to Bella tribe or do people in italia serie de well this is a very energetic he has not let the grass grow under his feet the list of what he's managed to achieve in eight years is terminal and frankly after a very lazy competitive there's one final accomplishment of this inspirational mare that I simply have to see before leaving Gangi he has reopened the crypt of the town's main Church to the public but this isn't any old crypt this is the crypt of a mummified monix there's a hundred monks in here I mean these are real skeletons this area plays outside ancient Egypt I believe that had this habit of mummifying it's very very hard the bond between the living and the dead is particularly strong here in Sicily mummification rights were practiced on the island until the late 19th century the aim was to keep them looking more or less alive for as long as possible the technique apparently it was exactly that work that was used in Egypt organs taken out embalmed wrapped in bandages the head was taken off separated from the body and put on a spike and then a kind of wax was put over the skin of the face gosh he's fairly well-preserved relatively speaking these desiccated dead provide scientists with a fresh insight into life and death in Sicily from the late sixteen hundreds it's actually an incredible resource because it allows us to find out what kind of illnesses existed then and what genetic traits were framed information gives some clue to the stories of these mysterious monks this is one from 1870 [Music] the mummification of corpses was seen as a way to preserve status and dignity even in death although looking at the creepy cadavers on display today I'm not sure how did know fied it is I suppose it's something that's so unusual that one has to view it dispassionately just their attitudes their attitudes and death and deeply deeply disturbing none of us like to face death but I think I prefer the idea of someone being safely put in the ground most weird thing I've ever seen disturbing it may be but this crypt is morbidly fascinating too it's an example of the rich tapestry of history and culture on offer here in northern Sicily and more treasures await on the East Coast traveling across the north of this island it's impossible not to feel the depth of its history it's all around you but there's one iconic piece of Sicily's past that's missing from its vast landscape I've come to a farm with the difference in the foothills of mount etna to meet a vet called Ketty who is doing her bit to keep an island treasure alive this is as a lat a sanctuary for the Sicilian donkey the introduction of engines made the donkey redundant here in Sicily they're now endangered but Ketty has given the Sicilian donkey a second chance [Music] where they once told the land they now produce milk for lactose-intolerant children [Music] oh man my I request the azan if we come home I suggest a pantheon you fondo see Oscar pero el mundo de ley intolerance a lab they were chillin dick on my last you know place era una so its own a laughing I produce I like that you see me lay a lucky man if we need buy me know that he cannot shake on me laughter Mattel no Yankee say allergic on a formula my techniques out and get you some pharmacy a poor Barry look at this amazing they're very very friendly animals sort of bird so no progress it's a pretty ballsy quit so dependable a lot of story I see a lassie not going to give any cash I mean so leg on it for felony Melissa I mean the one who since it'd be a green DCF it's your name and somehow in our minds the idea of the horse and the donkey and a mule all become conflated the horses at the top of the pile and the mules donkey that at the bottom but in fact they're completely different animals pollution of the family if in the a mission group de la escena and soul of a menial a mattress calamity our Caravan Papa so the more I find out about donkeys you know I like them the males are kept at the margins of their society as being extremely unimportant like to mountain why baby sit down perhaps they're telling us that it's 11 o'clock which means it's milking time apparently only takes a minute for donkey it's about half a liter per donkey their milk twice a day interesting [Music] donkey milk has the same protein a percentage as human milk 1.9 percent it also has the same kind of sugars and zero cholesterol Hetty's farm produces 40 litres of milk a day which she serves at 14 euros Anita I fallen in love with his animals you could too Hetty's farm is open to the public and if you do come it would be rude not to sample their precious milk a calm lap then scream after you know men are the moon upper 1030 last lesson 1% fat I was slightly dreading trying donkey milk I don't know why I haven't tried lots of other things but actually it's quite sweet and it's very nice it doesn't feel so fatty I'm not a huge fan of cows not to start with this is monkey sommelier she said Getty said so you can I can I taste the odor of the planets coming through and then I kind of rather not think too hard about that no I think is the answer [Music] you know passion like kitties is always inspiring it's amazing what she's doing with this donkey these are a big part of Sicilian history says wonderful that she is kind of keeping the tradition alive in their heyday these donkeys would have been tethered to another integral and unique piece of Sicilian history the character Siciliano is a beautifully carved and exquisitely decorated horse-drawn cart but like the donkey the Sicilian cart is an island tradition close to extinction just down the road from Keti in the town of troika Stanny father Alfio and san jose Eber are doing their bit to keep the Sicilian folklore alive you'll see these colorful carts brightening up festivals across the island this is a real beauty pageant impressive today they're giving me an exclusive glimpse of the whole pomp and ceremony it's quite a fanfare but I certainly wasn't expecting to be accompanied by all the bells and whistles of a band nothing quite represent Sicily like these traveling works of art does f is vibrant and flamboyant courts have even featured in adverts the dolce & gabbana [Music] things I've ever done horses very much and being at the business end of a horse isn't my forte but you can imagine the effect that a cart like this would have had it must have blown people's minds in you since the early 1800s the predator Siciliano reached their peak of popularity in the 1920s when many thousands brightened the streets of the island the carts were a wandering picture book that depicted historical history religious or civil reserve ents it's layer upon layer of decoration so it's both functional such as these which helps support the car and make it stronger and decorative what I love about it is in those rather than drab and hard-working tines that there was such pleasure and such color it must have bought so much glamour and joy into people's lives I think it's gorgeous [Laughter] although I'm not sure the streets of London are ready for this they're quintessentially Sicilian thank God for families like this one for preserving me [Music] my journey across the north of Sicily has reached the East Coast and my final destination Syracuse Sarek use is a window to the ancient history of the Mediterranean ruins of temples and Baroque statues grace this special city but a strange modern cone-shaped building dominates the skyline here it has to be seen to be believed this is the sanctuary of Our Lady of tears a church built in honor of a miracle that happened here 62 years ago welcome to the sands weary they tell me the story of what happened yes the story of the Virgin Mary of Syracuse began on the 29 of a ghost of 1953 in a local house of syracuse was the house of our a young married couple Antonina Angelo and Musa and it's believed a small image of the Virgin Mary cried shat human tears for four days was very strong ordinary in 1953 people flopped from around the world to witness the tears of the Madonna they still make pilgrimages here today and I'm making my own this is the inside and is astonishing you have no idea from outside that the interior is gonna be like this and it's stunning there's the madonna that was originally hanging over the bed that cried the real tears and she's incredibly beautiful [Music] it's a peaceful and fitting end to my travels across the north of this vast island this journey across the north of Sicily has been so rewarding because every time I come back I find something new there's so many society to be architecture to the culture here there's so much history we never get to the bottom of it it makes my soul sing next time I venture south to explore Sicilies wilder regions these are Turkish steps amazing from the Baroque beauty of its stunning towns to the striking coasts [Music] you

Channel: TRACKS - Travel Documentaries

Views: 140,245

Keywords: TRACKS, tracks travel channel, tracks travel, full episode, full documentary, alex polizzi, alex polizzi secret italy, mafia, mafia documentary, sicilian mafia, amazing stories

Id: PWIZk5eHnNA

Length: 43min 34sec (2614 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 28 2020