The Mafia from Screen to Tourism: Narratives and Tensions in The Godfather Tours in Sicily
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2025-06-26
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en
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The Godfather tours in Sicily represent a peculiar form of gangster film tourism, in which the cinematic narrative meets historical reality in a region marked by an actual mafia presence. This study explores the interplay between the cinematic narrative of the mafia as conveyed in The Godfather film trilogy and the touristic narrative of The Godfather guided tours in Sicily. Its aim is to assess the implications of the tour storytelling for the critical understanding of the mafia as a real historical phenomenon. Through the analysis of pre-tour promotional materials, on-site narratives during tours, and post-tour visitor reviews, this research investigates whether The Godfather tours replicate the narratives and imaginaries about the mafia portrayed in the films, or try to communicate a more critical narrative which takes into account historical reality; whether they combine the cinematic and historical heritage to address the ethical implications of mafia portrayals in films; and whether they critically address the blurred boundaries and tensions between the fiction and reality of the mafia. Findings indicate that the tours predominantly replicate the cinematic imaginary and rely on this cinematic heritage, with limited engagement with the historical context, the ethical implications of the cinematic portrayal and the tensions between fiction and reality. Tour narratives do not provide tourists with adequate critical tools to understand the mafia as a real phenomenon; rather, they contribute to its romanticisation and to a form of heritage dissonance, as the prioritisation of cinematic fiction for the entertainment of tourists comes at the expenses of the real stories of those affected by the mafia in the region. This study concludes with a reflection on the potential of The Godfather tours to develop more critical and balanced narratives.
Keywords: The Godfather; mafia; Sicily; film-induced tourism; gangster film tourism
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