The ban comes as Agrigento prepares to be the Italian capital of culture next year and aims to highlight its cultural wealth rather than mafia heritage.
In the souvenir shops of the Italian island of Sicily it is common to find mafia themed articlesfrom magnets and t-shirts to bottle openers and shot glasses. The Sicilian mafia continues to operate on the islandengaging in criminal activities such as extortion, drug trafficking and kidnapping.
Agrigento is a city in southern Sicily that continues to fight against mafia control, and is also called to be the Italian Capital of Culture in 2025. To change its international image and end the glorification of criminal organizationthe city has decided to ban the sale of mafia-themed souvenirs.
Sicilian city bans Mafia memorabilia
Francesco Miccichè, alcalde of Agrigento, has The sale of souvenirs in which the Mafia appears is prohibited. It is common to find images and symbols of the mafia organization in articles, such as Sicilians in traditional costumes holding a sawed-off shotgun known as a “lupara.”
The ordinance hopes to change the vision that tourists have of the city and send a clear message that the activities of the criminal organization do not have the approval of local authorities.
“Considering that the sale of this type of products in the territory of Agrigento humiliates the local communitycommitted for years to the dissemination of the culture of legality, I order the prohibition of the sale of any type of object that praises or referencesin any way and form, to the mafia and organized crime,” the mayor declared to the Italian press.
The local police have been given powers to inspect gift shops of the city and fine if found prohibited products. The amount of the fines has not yet been confirmed.
Agrigento cleans up its image as it prepares to be Italian Capital of Culture in 2025
The ban comes as Agrigento prepares to be the Italian capital of culture next year and aims to highlight its cultural richness rather than mafia heritage. According to the city council, the cultural program will include 44 new projects that will explore the relationship between humans and nature.
One of the most important events will be a concert by the Italian pop opera trio Il Volo in the Valley of the Temples. Tourists are already flocking to this place, UNESCO heritagewith archaeological remains dating back to when the island was a colony of Ancient Greece in the 6th and 5th centuries BC.
The city itself is a palimpsest of ancient, medieval, baroque and modern architecture, and has a notable archaeological museum.
