Scene from the movie "Mafioso" (1962). 

Palermo’s splendid palaces, churches and museums just cannot compete with the Mafia when it comes to attracting curiosity from tourists. In acknowledgment of this brutal fact, Sicilian tour guide Augusto Cavadi has written a 55-page pocket-sized book called The Mafia Explained to Tourists.

The book tackles a lot of the questions about the Mafia, which Cavadi is fed up with answering while giving tours in his hometown Palermo.

"I included the 10 questions I am always asked, so from now on I can just hand out the book", said Augusto Cavadi according to The Guardian. These are questions such as: what does a Mafioso look like, whether the mafia will exist forever, and ”why haven't we seen a shoot-out in our 10 days here?”

Despite having certain common characteristics, it can be difficult – even for a local Sicilian – to spot a mobster. "They are usually elegant and polite and move in high circles," Augusto Cavadi says according The Guardian. "I have known dozens, but only found out years later they were Mafiosi when they were arrested. It was 15 years before I figured out my apartment building was owned by a mob family", Cavadi says.

The Mafia Explained to Tourists is available in Italian, English, Japanese, German, Spanish and French and in addition to tips on how to spot the average Godfather it includes a list of books and films which present a realistic view of the mob.

In addition to being handed out by Augusto Cavadi when he is quizzed about the mafia, the €5.50 guide is on sale at newspaper stands in Palermo.

Author David Rich Momondo