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For those interested in the subject, Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah is a fascinating non-fiction account about the lesser-known but incredibly powerful Naples mafia
by btown 9y ago
For those interested in the subject, Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah is a fascinating non-fiction account about the lesser-known but incredibly powerful Naples mafia, the Camorra. Among other industries, it has inserted itself at the center of the luxury fashion industry, with a fascinating hold on the same factories that produce attire and accessories for the red carpet.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jan/12/crime.mafia https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jan/12/crime.mafia
> The Neapolitan Camorra, or "the System" as it is known by those on its inside, is a vast, pullulating world of gangs. They form, split, descend into vicious feuds, and re-emerge in new alliances only to be annihilated in some new internecine war. Whereas a Sicilian capo can confidently expect to see his grandchildren set out on their criminal careers, a senior camorrista is lucky if he reaches 40... Following a series of highly credible death threats, since autumn 2006 Saviano has been given an armed escort at public expense.
https://www.esquire.com/style/news/a50424/italy-mafia-counterfeit-fashion-supreme/ https://www.esquire.com/style/news/a50424/italy-mafia-counte...
> Quoting Italian journalist Roberto Saviano from his 2006 book Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia, the article points out that: The workforce in clan operations is highly skilled, with decades of experience under Italy's and Europe's most important designers. The same hands that once worked under the table for the big labels now work for the clans…Which means that the clothes made by the clans aren't typical counterfeit goods…but rather a sort of true fake. All that's missing is the final step: the brand name, the official authorization from the motherhouse.
> Basically how it works in Italy is that multiple factories would bid on a job to produce clothes or accessories for a fashion brand. The brand would then supply fabrics and designs to each of the factories, and whichever one supplied the garments fastest and with the highest quality would be paid. Those factories that didn't win the bid would then re-brand the clothes and sell them through the Camorra's retail network. It's part of the reason why today, nearly 10 percent of all fashion related-products sold in Europe are counterfeit.
The book itself is a shocking read - highly recommended.
- pimeys 9y agoIt's an excellent book. I was visiting Naples after reading the book, and I truly love the city, food and the people. The problem is, how my Neapolitan friends say, that visiting the city is safe and lovely, but living there maybe not. I remember from the book how Camorra controls most of Europe's drug trafficking, how they test the new stuff with junkies in Scampia and only spread them to the north if the junkies don't die. For German/English party-goers to consume. Or how they just basically dump toxic waste to the nature, spoiling one of the best kitchens in the world. How would you know the buffala mozzarella is not contaminated, or the delicious tomatoes...
- atmosx 9y agoAny hints on what one must see? I might go to Naples for a Sting concert in August and I'm trying to make a list of the most interesting sight-scenes?
- pimeys 9y agoMy favorite sightseeings were the restaurants. Just eat a good pizza, some seafood and drink the wine. The city itself is pretty amazing, but navigating there can be tricky.
- spazmaster 9y agoAmalfi coast is amazing. Pompeii very interesting. Napels Spanish quarters. As Pimeys says the restaurants are just too good. The seafood is very very good.
- et-al 9y agoSurprised you're downvoted, but perhaps it's tangental to the discussion. It's also the weekend, so eh.. :) My personal biggest takeaway from Naples was a question of what happened between Italy and America that the food lost something. This is probably true of all cuisines that migrate to new countries and don't have access to their original ingredients. After Naples and Amalfi, I became that annoying friend that comes back from Italy and raves about how great the food was over there. In terms of sightseeing, the things I still remember a few years later: - Madre is a great contemporary art museum there and they were featuring lots of Italian artists when we went - We really enjoyed the Piazza Bellini neighborhood both during the day at night. There's an art school there and it just has a really good vibe. At night it's also a popular spot. - We did two underground tours of their cisterns. The one that meets in front of Caffè Gambrinus [0] feels more grassroots (like a couple folks who do this as a weekend hobby) and hopefully your group will only have 2-6 people. The larger one is at Via dei Tribunali. This one has a more corporate feel as tour guides are seasonal staff that know how to speak English. The sights are more stunning here, though. - We rode the funicular up to Vomero in the west which is a wealthier neighborhood, hung out in the park there, then climbed up to Castel Sant'Elmo. Poked around its lovely courtyards and art collection, and walked down the backside while enjoying the view - Pizza. Pizza. Pizza. Lots of blogs have written about this. Get there early, otherwise don't go at all because you'll waste half your day waiting. Lastly, you're in the middle of everything. Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii are right there. Or take a ferry to Sorrento and explore the Amalfi Coast. The only thing is that it's super popular in the summer, so you'll need take in consideration dealing with the other tourists and higher prices. [0] Gambrinus - http://www.lanapolisotterranea.it/orari_ing.htm http://www.lanapolisotterranea.it/orari_ing.htm
- narag 9y agoTen or twelve years ago a truck driver tried to sell clothes to me for peanuts in an industrial zone near an "outlet factory" south of Madrid. I was puzzled by the scene, specially for the details. Now it suddenly makes sense. Maybe the legitimate shops refused the cargo suspecting it was counterfeited or stolen. Oh, and guess where the truck and the driver where from.
- neonate 9y agoSaviano came out of hiding to give a talk and described the UK as the most corrupt country in the world. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/29/roberto-saviano-london-is-heart-of-global-financial-corruption https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/29/roberto-savian...
- fjsolwmv 9y agoYep, there's more than one kind of corruption. It's hard to compare dollar amounts and lives
- robk 9y agoThe TV show is even better. So highly recommended.
- bsimpson 9y agoAnd it's on US Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80079255 https://www.netflix.com/title/80079255