Corleone, Italy
Fugitive Mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano was arrested this week after 43 years on the run. Italian police reportedly intercepted a batch of the tiny, tightly folded notes, known as pizzini, that Provenzano used in lieu of phone calls to communicate with subordinates and family. He was caught in a farmhouse outside his hometown of Corleone, Sicily. Provenzano has been the supreme boss of the Sicilian Mafia since former “boss of bosses” Toto Riina was arrested in 1993. Now 73, Provenzano went into hiding in 1963, and police had no pictures of him more recent than that. “Most people believed he could never get caught,” said Italian journalist Dino Paternostro. “His myth of invincibility had become part of our psyche.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Critics' choice: 2025 James Beard Award winnersFeature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
How will Trump's spending bill impact student loans?the explainer Here's what the Republicans' domestic policy bill means for current and former students
-
Can the US economy survive Trump's copper tariffs?Today's Big Question The price hike 'could upend' the costs of cars, houses and appliances
