Sicily’s mafia is expanding its white-collar crime

SICILY’S tourist hotspots are living an economic boom thanks to shows like HBO’s The White Lotus, which put the island’s breathtaking vistas on display. But the ancient island’s infamous underbelly remains untouched by the influx of new wealth. In fact, organised crime has only diversified and become more entwined with the legitimate economy.

On a recent trip to Sicily, the contrast between the flourishing tourism sector and the declines elsewhere was as stark as I have seen in more than 20 years of reporting on the island.

In Palermo, the piazza around the cathedral was brimming with activity. Not a 10-minute-walk away, burnt out cars lined a residential street of dilapidated high-rise apartments. In Taormina, with its Graeco-Roman theatre and views over Mount Etna, locals told me new Louis Vuitton and Prada stores had brought more well-heeled visitors to the hilltop town that has a starring role in the second series of the hit HBO show. Yet down the hill and along the coast, piles of filthy refuse made beaches unusable.