How come we know so little about the world’s most powerful mafia?
The ’Ndrangheta’s success lies primarily in its secrecy. It doesn’t flaunt its wealth. In a country full of beautiful hill towns and villages, an ’Ndrangheta town is a verruca of concrete ugliness. The towns look deprived, and the ’Ndrangheta themselves dress like orange farmers. By contrast, the Sicilian mafia, Cosa Nostra, went to war with the Italian state in the 80s and the 90s and around 1,700 people died. They are also the mafia most often portrayed in the movies. As for the Naples mafia, the Camorra, they are flashy − they are a feature on the social scene and their weddings are big events.
