The ban comes as Agrigento readies itself to be Italy’s capital of culture next yr and goals to shine the highlight on its cultural riches quite than Mafia heritage.
ADVERTISEMENTIn souvenir shops across the Italian island of Sicily, you’ll often find Mafia-themed merchandise from magnets and t-shirts to bottle openers and shot glasses.
The Sicilian mafia continues to operate on the island, engaging in criminal activities like extortion, narcotrafficking and kidnapping.
Agrigento is a town in southern Sicily still fighting Mafia control – and additionally it is set to be the Italian Capital of Culture in 2025.
In a bid to alter its international image and crack down on the glamourisation of the criminal organisation, the town has decided to ban the sale of Mafia-themed souvenirs.
Sicilian town bans Mafia-themed souvenirs
Francesco Miccichè, the mayor of Agrigento, has brought in a ban on the sale of souvenirs that feature the Mafia.
It’s common to search out images and symbols of the underworld organisation on merchandise, including Sicilians in traditional dress holding a sawn-off shotgun often called a ‘lupara’.
The ordinance hopes to alter the way in which tourists see the town and send a transparent message that the activities of the criminal organisation usually are not condoned by local authorities.
“Considering that the sale of such products within the territory of Agrigento humiliates the area people, which has been committed to spreading the culture of legality for years, I order a ban on the sale of any form of object that praises, or refers in any way and form, to the mafia and organised crime,” the mayor told Italian press.
The local police force has been given powers to examine gift shops within the town and issue fines if prohibited products are found. How much businesses could have to pay has not yet been confirmed.
Agrigento cleans up its images because it prepares to be Italy’s Capital of Culture in 2025
The ban comes as Agrigento readies itself to be Italy’s capital of culture next yr and goals to shine the highlight on its cultural riches quite than Mafia heritage.
Town council says the cultural programme will include 44 latest projects which explore humans’ relationship with nature.
Probably the most necessary events will likely be a concert by the Italian operatic pop trio Il Volo on the Valley of the Temples.
Tourists already flock to this UNESCO heritage site with archaeological stays that date back to when the island was an Ancient Greek colony within the sixth and fifth centuries BC.
Town proper is a palimpsest of ancient, medieval, Baroque and modern architecture and there’s a noteworthy archaeological museum.
