Mistretta is definitely a Cosa Nostra Family and part of the San Mauro Castelverde mandamento. I wasn't aware that Barcellona was officially recognized but they are at least referred to as a Famiglia on charts:
Here is how Italian authorities described some of these Messina groups:
The criminal landscape is characterized by the existence of distinct areas of influence, within which Mafia-type structures operate, each with its own characteristics, which are affected by the influence of mafia organizations of the neighboring rulers. In particular, I know they distinguish that: starting from the outskirts of the city of Messina, it extends along the northern coast up to the Nebrodi, where the influence of the families of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Mazzarra Sant'Andrea, Milazzo and Terme Vigliatore is recorded. These are militarily organized criminal formations, connected with the families of Cosa Nostra of Palermo, San Mauro Castelverde, Catania and Caltanissetta, which have taken on a structure and operating systems that are entirely homologous to the Palermo clans.
Some of the Messinese groups have taken on a mafia-like structure and have relationships to Cosa Nostra Families but aren't officially part of the system.
The area directly around Messina citta doesn't seem to have any formal Cosa Nostra groups but as this notes the Santapaola sphere of influence extends there:
Antonino Cutrera who was a great early resource on 1800s mafia activity published in 1900 that the mafia was almost entirely on the western part of the island but did surface in certain districts of Catania and Messina. He mentioned an organization of mafia-like brigands who were prosecuted in Messina but didn't fully contextualize it as "mafia" like he did for the western Sicilian examples, where he broke down the familiar structure, initiation rites, etc. He noted that the highest concentration of mafia groups was in Palermo province, then it faded a bit in Trapani and Caltanissetta, only to get very high in concentration again in Agrigento which is consistent with the mafia to this day.
Decades later Italian parliament gave a history of the mafia and also said it was almost entirely a western Sicilian phenomenon and one reason it didn't take hold in Messina was because of differences in government:
The phenomenon had more pronounced manifestations in Palermo and western Sicily, because in Messina the weakness of the central governments was put to the advantage of municipal independence, freedom of trade, of the authority and prestige of local bodies. More specifically, Messina and eastern Sicily tried to acquire an autonomy of government, for the protection of local trade, and when they strove to valorise local administrative bodies, in the attempt, not unlike that made by many cities in northern and central Italy, to oppose a strong communal power to a practically non-existent state power.
Antonino Calderone said that Catania didn't become a Family until well into the 20th century and that initially some members were inducted there who belonged to a Palermo Family before being given recognition as their own Family. I suspect Cosa Nostra had remote members in other eastern areas even if they didn't have Families there. For example I'm confident that Rosario Vitaliti was an uomo d'onore in Taormina even though there was no Family there -- he was visited by Nicola Gentile and Charlie Luciano, then when Michael DiLeonardo was going to Taormina for his honeymoon old time Gambino member Joe Cusumano asked him to deliver a letter to Vitaliti but Vitaliti had died a short time earlier so when he arrived he couldn't deliver the letter.
We know Cosa Nostra developed relationships with Messinesi for political purposes after WWII but they had a falling out soon after. I wouldn't be surprised if they at least inducted some people there over the years but its history and present consistently show a weak formal presence for Cosa Nostra.
Barcellona interestingly produced Gambino members Umberto Valenti and Joe Biondo as well as Philly boss Joe Bruno Dovi. It appears the Corozzos trace their ancestry there as well which is no doubt a coincidence but worth noting. It's interesting there is some kind of mafia presence today given it produced some important mafia members in the US. Doesn't mean there was anything there when these guys were born but it could have lent itself to the mentality.
--
Interestingly with Santapaola in Catania, Gaetano Costa (Messinese 'ndrina leader and pentito) said Santapaola was loyal to the 'ndrangheta first and foremost. Santapaola was obviously a Catania Family member and boss but I wouldn't be surprised if he was also initiated into the 'ndrangheta. The Calderones hated the Calabrians so I'd guess Santapaola used this to his advantage in his conflict with the Calderones by cultivating alliances with them.
Mistretta is definitely a Cosa Nostra Family and part of the San Mauro Castelverde mandamento. I wasn't aware that Barcellona was officially recognized but they are at least referred to as a Famiglia on charts:
[img]https://i.ibb.co/DzL1dKH/messina.png[/img]
Here is how Italian authorities described some of these Messina groups:
[quote][i]The criminal landscape is characterized by the existence of distinct areas of influence, within which Mafia-type structures operate, each with its own characteristics, which are affected by the influence of mafia organizations of the neighboring rulers. In particular, I know they distinguish that: starting from the outskirts of the city of Messina, it extends along the northern coast up to the Nebrodi, where the influence of the families of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Mazzarra Sant'Andrea, Milazzo and Terme Vigliatore is recorded. These are militarily organized criminal formations, connected with the families of Cosa Nostra of Palermo, San Mauro Castelverde, Catania and Caltanissetta, which have taken on a structure and operating systems that are entirely homologous to the Palermo clans.[/i][/quote]
Some of the Messinese groups have taken on a mafia-like structure and have relationships to Cosa Nostra Families but aren't officially part of the system.
The area directly around Messina citta doesn't seem to have any formal Cosa Nostra groups but as this notes the Santapaola sphere of influence extends there:
[img]https://i.ibb.co/dBRrZ65/messina2.png[/img]
Antonino Cutrera who was a great early resource on 1800s mafia activity published in 1900 that the mafia was almost entirely on the western part of the island but did surface in certain districts of Catania and Messina. He mentioned an organization of mafia-like brigands who were prosecuted in Messina but didn't fully contextualize it as "mafia" like he did for the western Sicilian examples, where he broke down the familiar structure, initiation rites, etc. He noted that the highest concentration of mafia groups was in Palermo province, then it faded a bit in Trapani and Caltanissetta, only to get very high in concentration again in Agrigento which is consistent with the mafia to this day.
Decades later Italian parliament gave a history of the mafia and also said it was almost entirely a western Sicilian phenomenon and one reason it didn't take hold in Messina was because of differences in government:
[quote][i]The phenomenon had more pronounced manifestations in Palermo and western Sicily, because in Messina the weakness of the central governments was put to the advantage of municipal independence, freedom of trade, of the authority and prestige of local bodies. More specifically, Messina and eastern Sicily tried to acquire an autonomy of government, for the protection of local trade, and when they strove to valorise local administrative bodies, in the attempt, not unlike that made by many cities in northern and central Italy, to oppose a strong communal power to a practically non-existent state power.[/i][/quote]
Antonino Calderone said that Catania didn't become a Family until well into the 20th century and that initially some members were inducted there who belonged to a Palermo Family before being given recognition as their own Family. I suspect Cosa Nostra had remote members in other eastern areas even if they didn't have Families there. For example I'm confident that Rosario Vitaliti was an uomo d'onore in Taormina even though there was no Family there -- he was visited by Nicola Gentile and Charlie Luciano, then when Michael DiLeonardo was going to Taormina for his honeymoon old time Gambino member Joe Cusumano asked him to deliver a letter to Vitaliti but Vitaliti had died a short time earlier so when he arrived he couldn't deliver the letter.
We know Cosa Nostra developed relationships with Messinesi for political purposes after WWII but they had a falling out soon after. I wouldn't be surprised if they at least inducted some people there over the years but its history and present consistently show a weak formal presence for Cosa Nostra.
Barcellona interestingly produced Gambino members Umberto Valenti and Joe Biondo as well as Philly boss Joe Bruno Dovi. It appears the Corozzos trace their ancestry there as well which is no doubt a coincidence but worth noting. It's interesting there is some kind of mafia presence today given it produced some important mafia members in the US. Doesn't mean there was anything there when these guys were born but it could have lent itself to the mentality.
--
Interestingly with Santapaola in Catania, Gaetano Costa (Messinese 'ndrina leader and pentito) said Santapaola was loyal to the 'ndrangheta first and foremost. Santapaola was obviously a Catania Family member and boss but I wouldn't be surprised if he was also initiated into the 'ndrangheta. The Calderones hated the Calabrians so I'd guess Santapaola used this to his advantage in his conflict with the Calderones by cultivating alliances with them.