Another Blow to Hollywood

Mafia chieftain Gaetano Riina, the elder statesman of the Corleone family immortalized in the Godfather, has been arrested.  Sigh.  The saga of Toto’ Riina–locked away for several lifetimes–is a fascinating one.  He lived in Corleone, a lovely little town tucked away in the hills of south central Sicily, allegedly totally unnoticed (although his house was just down the street from the cathedral in which Michael Corleone married that gorgeous Sicilian babe) for twenty years.  Nobody knew he was there.  We are told.  Now the old man is in jail, facing trial.

The old guy was rounded up in Mazara del Vallo, a coastal city in which we’ve spent several happy days.  It’s a very old place, just across a narrow stretch of the Med from North Africa–you can see it on a clear day–and if you have the chance, you should visit.  Gaetano Riina chose his residence wisely.  Great sea food!  Much better than the fare in Corleone.