Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1799-1815
Napoleon takes control of Naples, leading to a weakening of Bourbon powers and the drafting of an
1812 constitution that establishes a two-chamber parliament and abolishes feudal privileges.
1820-48
The first uprising against the Bourbons occurs in Palermo. It is followed by others in Syracuse in
1837 and Palermo in 1848.
1860-61
Garibaldi lands in Marsala and defeats the Bourbon army, taking Palermo two weeks later. King Vict-
or Emmanuel II becomes the first king of a unified Italy on 17 March 1861.
1860-94
The emergence of the
mafiosi
fills the vacuum between the people and the state. The need for social re-
form strengthens the growing trade union, the
fasci
.
1922-43
Benito Mussolini brings Fascism and almost succeeds in stamping out the Mafia. He drags Sicily in-
to WWII by colonising Libya. Sicily suffers greatly from Allied bombing.
1943-44
The Mafia collaborates with the Allied forces, assisting in the capture of the island. Sicily is taken in
39 days. Mafia Don Calogero Vizzini is appointed as the island's administrator.
1951-75
Sicily's petrochemical, citrus and fishing industries collapse, leading to widespread unemployment.
One million Sicilians emigrate to northern Europe.
1992
Sicilian anti-Mafia magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino are murdered within two
months of each other. Their deaths provoke widespread outrage and strengthen popular resistance to
the Mafia.
1995-99
Giulio Andreotti, the former Italian prime minister, is charged with Mafia association, and goes on
trial. He is acquitted due to lack of evidence in 1999.
2006
The Sicilian Godfather, Bernardo Provenzano, is arrested after 40 years on the run. His arrest marks
an important milestone in the fight against the Mafia.
