Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia

When uncultured Americans (unlike me. obviously.) think of the Italian Mafia, we think of The Sopranos, Goodfellas, or The Godfather. We think of this fancy gang of men: all good looking, all in Armani suits and all smoking expensive cigars. American filmmaking has created this stereotype. In reality, it’s not the hot-chic-bad-ass-gang I so desperately wanted to marry into (hence why I came to Italy. Who wouldn’t want a BAMF for a boyfriend?) No, it’s nothing like that.

The mafia is more than just spaghetti and guns: it is, in a sense, the black market, although something much more dangerous. It’s where drugs, sex, toxic waste deposits and illegal labor are sold upon violence. These activities have led to high levels of murder all over the country. 30% of Italy’s economy is reported to be underground black economy, or in other words part of this dangerous mafia affair.

The mafia is something very painful, disgraceful and even embarrassing for most Italians: rarely spoken about and most definitely despised across the nation. What many people don’t know is that there are different mafia gangs all across the country (also spreading internationally, especially in America). The most famous (as we know it) is the Sicilian mafia-Cosa Nostra (or Our Thing). Then to name a few: Sacra Corona Unita (United Sacred Crown) from Puglia; ‘Ndrangheta (there isn’t really a direct translation, but more or less means “Courageous Men”) from the region of Calabria; lastly, the Neapolitan Camorra, the oldest and largest criminal organization in Italy.

In 2005, an Italian man named Roberto Saviano (who now is on the run from the Camorra) decided to expose the mafia and their activity to the rest of the world. Saviano witnessed a lot of Mafia activity and documents his findings in the book “Gomorrah” (The title is a reference to the biblical cities Sodom and Gomorrah. Paralleling Mafia areas to the destroyed cities of the Bible). I am currently reading the book and it is so interesting to learn about the violence that is rapidly deteriorating the country I live in.

Anyway, If you have the time I suggest you to read the book or watch the movie to get a better understanding of the real mafia. Both works are beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The matter is truly eye-opening and more close to home than you think.

Trailer to the movie:

(another cool fact: The major part of this movie is spoken in Napoletano (the dialect of Naples) so even Italians that aren’t from the area have to watch the movie with subtitles because they don’t understand the unique dialect.)

Sorry for the lack of seriously lame jokes in this post, but I thought I would share something a little bit more intellectual than the dimensions of my refrigerator or why I wear wet clothes to school, just to show you I'm not a complete academic failure.

The lock on my apartment’s door is as strong as a toothpick. And there is no double bolt. I'm not scared of the Mafia.

Mal