The Cathedral of Palermo – known for its spectacular array of medieval tombs and sculpture – is today graced with a new work of art. An Andy Warhol style graffiti featuring the face of mob boss Matteo Messina Denaro has appeared on a wall that separates the church from nearby Piazza Setteangeli. The portraits were based on the last known photo of the fugitive boss.
The nearby text reads “Messina Denaro – the Last!” Newspaper reports suggest that the initials F.A. (above, surrounded by a circle) may be those of the artist.
So who is the guy being praised (or blamed?) in spray-on street style? He’s a really bad guy – one of Italy’s most wanted fugitives, one of the world’s largest drug dealers (according to the FBI), and a man who’s definitely already had his 15 minutes of fame. A leader of Cosa Nostra, Matteo Messina Denaro became known nationally 2001, when the magazine L’Espresso put him on the cover with the headline: Ecco il nuovo capo della mafia (”Here is the new boss of the Mafia”).
Known for being a ruthless playboy mafioso and womaniser, driving an expensive Porsche sports car, and wearing a Rolex Daytona watch, Ray Ban sunglasses and clothes from Armani and Versace, Messina Denaro has been a fugitive since 1993 when he was involved in the bomb attacks that shook Sicily and killed prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
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