I have more protection than any other mayor. By taking on the Sicilian Mafia, Orlando knows his name is written on many bullets. In many respects, the international symposium was a celebration of Orlando's accomplishments as mayor. The tourism industry booms with sun worshippers who crowd Palermo's beaches on the Mediterranean Sea. Dilapidated housing has been torn down or remodeled.
Danger is always near.
To wage Palermo's fight against the Mafia, laws were changed to make associating with the Mafia a crime and authorizing municipal governments to confiscate Mafioso property. Fighting the Mafia and Renewing Sicilian Culture is the title of Orlando's book, which is scheduled for international publication just in time for his election campaign that will be a clear test of the enduring political strength of the Sicilian Mafia. In announcing his candidacy for governor Dec. 19, Orlando traveled to Catania, the island's second largest city, which lies on the eastern coast in the shadow of Mount Etna. High-level Sicilian Mafia operations moved from Palermo to Catania, or so it is said, in the wake of the Maxi Trials. Similarly, in the aftermath of the assassinations of Falcone and Borsellino, Orlando led the effort to provide for the direct election of the mayor of Palermo.