We are only just one day in Sicily when we hear that a mob boss has been arrested in Palermo who had been wanted for 30 years. Thirty years! How then? And how clever to be able to hide for so long. When I watch the Hunted program, it's already great if you succeed for two weeks. This mafia boss ‘Messina Denaro’ had been on the run since 1993. He has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1992 murders of two investigating judges.
Already in the seventies the film The Godfather was shot, partly in Sicily. It raises the question for me who inspired whom now? Corleone the movie, or the movie Corleone? Now that we are in Sicily and our neighbours at the first campsite are referring to the town of Savoca where part of the film was shot, we decide to also watch all Godfather films and then visit various places (where the shooting has been) of the film.
In the film, the village of Forza d'Agro serves as the village of Corleone and Vito Corleone walks from Corleone to Savoca. In real life this would be about 300 km and you can quickly spend four hours on the roads of Sicily by car. This made the village internationally known. It makes us curious about the real village of Corleone. Shall we visit it or not?
Corleone a village, now a city with 11,000 inhabitants, hidden deep in the interior of Sicily at about 60 km below Palermo. In that respect, a nice central and strategic location. You can only get there by car (not by public transport) and the road surface seems to be bad and several mafia bosses come from it. The village is skipped in several tourist booklets. We'll take a look at it! Well with Misty of course, that probably scares away.
We drive deep into the beautiful and green interior. We regularly see villages and almost all of them are on hills. There are also farms, small houses in no man's land, so if you're talking about hiding in Sicily, I know a few places. The road to it is pretty good. Yes there are some curves in it, but the road is wide, the view is great. The asphalt is pretty good, only in the village do we experience the usual holes, potholes and temporary repairs to the roads again.
So Corleone is located on a hill and between rocks. From these rocks, the village is easy to oversee and control. We park in a central square and walk the last stretch to Chiesa die San Martino. The church outside is quite neutral, but seems to be beautiful inside. And that's him. Misty is also allowed, no problem (but they would like to take a picture of her) and we even get a tour. We see rooms that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. We get to take pictures and film (more to see in our week 8 vlog). ‘Secret’ doors open in the church, behind which there is much more to see.
In one of the spaces is a photo exhibition of various families in Corleone, from the fifties. It's like flipping through my parents' photo album and mainly my father's family. A bunch of tough guys and spicy ladies standing together in a group. Men with white blouse, ladies in dress. I would almost think these are photos from my family's album, but that's what everyone apparently looked like in the fifties.
After visiting the church we stop for a tea and capu at caffè Ruggirello. Which is also on the square near the church. In the seating area there are many photos and posters of the movie The Godfather. The entrance has recently been renewed, there would also be family photos, but now there is mainly liqueur, coffee, sweet treats. Misty is allowed and the owner dares to pet her. All coffee drinkers, especially men, find her special. The Corleonesi in cars are also slowing down to take a good look at her.
Er is ook nog een anti-maffia museum. Dat zou gesloten zijn, maar was open. Echter er was geen Engelstalige gids aanwezig en met Misty door het museum zou wel lastig zijn. We wandelen verder door het dorp, omhoog naar het uitkijkpunt. Dat bereiken we uiteindelijk niet, maar zien wel op elke hoek van de straat een kerk staan. In de grote kerk hadden ze ons al verteld dat Corleone 100 kerken heeft, we hebben ze niet geteld, maar wel veel gezien.
Misty has been admired throughout the village all the time. We are asked if it is an ‘Alano’ (German Dog) and if she is ‘morder’ (bites). Various photos are taken. At a local store is a lady who is barely bigger than Misty herself and would like to take a picture with her. This one has not yet been taken or the next man is already coming over to take a picture. In the store we buy a small bottle of Corleone limoncello, but there are also other Corleone or Godfather liqueurs for sale.
Just make sure you're a little on time. Just after noon, around 1pm, everything closes and only opens again around 4pm. We decide to drive back towards Palermo.
Corleone, Visitare! Definitely do. The drive to it is beautiful, the village has charm, there is a special atmosphere, there is plenty to see. Just make sure you are on time (before 13:00) - before everything only reopens after noon at 4pm. The residents are very friendly to us, or is it because of Misty who is now ‘famous’ in Corleone? Because such a tough dog fits in this village. Corleone, Visitare!
Ciao tutti.
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