Sicily cracks down on mafia-themed souvenirs in airports

Sicily's authorities have appealed to airport management to ensure that terminal shops do not sell gadgets and souvenirs related to the mafia. Earlier, the mayor prohibited trading such products in one of Sicily's towns.

Protests against the industry and trade of mafia-related souvenirs in Italy, especially those referring to the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, have been raised for years.

"The sale of mafia-themed souvenirs in shops within Sicilian airports must come to an end," wrote the head of the transportation department in the regional government, Alessandro Arico, to the management of airports in Palermo, Catania, Comiso, Trapani, Lampedusa, and Pantelleria.

He stressed that "maintaining a respectable image, free from negative stereotypes, is undoubtedly a line that must be followed in places where tourists arrive in Sicily".

The most often purchased mafia souvenirs in Sicily include, among others, the traditional Sicilian cap – coppola, magnets with drawings of short double-barrelled shotguns – luparas, and T-shirts with images referring to the movie "The Godfather."

PAP reports that the appeal for a ban at the airports coincided with the decision of the mayor of the Sicilian town of Agrigento, Franco Micciché. In this town, the sale of any items related to the mafia has been prohibited. Italian media report that in this way, the authorities want to promote legality and eliminate negative stereotypes about the Italian island.

Tourists who want to take a memento of their travels home must remember a few rules. In mid-holiday, the Mazovian National Revenue Administration (KAS) reminded tourists that the import into the EU and export from the EU of specimens protected by the Washington Convention (CITES) is prohibited without the appropriate permits and certificates. The lack of such documents leads to the confiscation of specimens and can result in imprisonment from three months to five years.

Meanwhile, according to the authorities' calculations, tourists very often bring back exotic souvenirs from holidays and are unaware of the consequences. Since the beginning of the year, KAS has confiscated nearly 400 specimens of animals and plants, including, among others, an alligator skull.

The record was set by a Polish woman returning from Mauritius, who had as much as 3.4 pounds of these specimens in her luggage. Another traveller, returning from the Dominican Republic, had four giant wing shells in his luggage, the largest 12 inches long.

In the luggage of a woman returning from Indonesia, a shell of the beautiful nautilus, a rare species of cephalopod, was discovered. She explained that she bought it at a beach souvenir shop.