A new travel guide to Sicily is an illustrated journey to the heart of the Mafia. Written for tourists and armchair travelers alike, the book is a geographical history of Cosa Nostra on the Italian island of Sicily, the picturesque birthplace of organized crime.
In The Sicilian Mafia: A True Crime Travel Guide ($18.95, Strategic Media Books, February 2014), author Carl Russo takes the reader to key hotspots in the history of the Sicilian Mafia: where the murders happened, where the godfathers lived, and where their victims are buried. The book’s many photographs were the result of Russo’s undercover work in Sicily over the course of six years.
Russo’s guidebook, the first of its kind in any language, is an adventure for anyone interested in unique travel, Italian history, or the annals of crime. From the sunbaked fishing villages of the Mediterranean to the darkest alleys of Palermo, western Sicily is the exotic background for disturbing tales of murder and mayhem. Readers will discover:
- A hundred strange and violent tales from Cosa Nostra’s 150-year history, meticulously researched and rendered in sharp prose.
- 202 photographs of the homes, hangouts and hideouts of legendary crime bosses, including a world-exclusive look at Lucky Luciano’s childhood home.
- Travel advice and a discussion of the practicalities and ethics of “Mafia tourism.”
- A map of western Sicily and chapters arranged for self-guided car tours.
The Sicilian Mafia: A True Crime Travel Guide (Strategic Media Books) is available at neighborhood and online booksellers.
Carl Russo is a San Francisco author who has written for the Oakland Tribune, indieWIRE and other publications. He was a radio producer and DJ at KUSF-FM, San Francisco, for more than a decade. He fell in love with Sicily on his first trip to the island in 1999 and has returned many times since.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
