The Castellammare del Golfo Cosca - Cosa Nostra’s Gateway to the United States

[maxiestern11]

Today, we’ve just released one of the most extensive and in-depth story lines I ever wrote. A story that is very personal to me. Near and dear to my heart of hearts! I am of Castellammarese heritage and some of the men you will read about are my relatives. The history of the Casteddammaresi “men of honor” and their journey on both sides of the Atlantic...... Enjoy!

[mafiastudent]

Here it is....a little preview to whet your appetite:

https://theblackhand.club/castellamma ... a-history/

The Castellammare del Golfo Cosca - Cosa Nostra's Gateway to the United States

The Sicily of Mafia...

Their rich history as the linchpin for the Sicilian mafia’s entrance into the United States has been well documented for over one-hundred years. These Castellammarese (Casteddammaresi in Sicilian) based “men of honor” have always benefitted from the closest of relations of blood family and “amici” across the ocean to their “medicana cugini”. All Sicilian cosca’s across the Island recognize these strong connections and look toward the Castellammare Family as the “tie that binds” the two Mafia’s together.....

[axx]

Thanks, interesting read as always.
Bonanno built his family around his own compatriots, no doubt to ensure a sense of loyalty, but I guess one of difficulties when dealing with the renegade faction was that DiGregorio was himself - Castellmmaresi .

[Antiliar]

Yes, interesting read. I notice that the list of Castellammarese in America includes those from neighboring cities like Alcamo, so not quite as many from the actual city of Castellammare. Would be interested in learning more of its earliest leaders. There's a big knowledge gap when it comes to the history of Castellammare. We do know that Joe Bonanno's family wasn't as powerful or important as he claimed it was. The Magaddinos were the dominant ones in his faction, which also included the Galantes and Bonventres. Vito Buccellato was apparently the actual rappresentante back then. Salvatore Maranzano apparently became a boss and was the provincial boss of Trapani before he came to the U.S.

It's also interesting that in the U.S. most started out under Nicolo Schiro in Brooklyn, then went on to become bosses of other Families. Francesco Lanza went to San Francisco, Gaspare Messina went to head Boston, Salvatore Sabella to Philadelphia, and Stefano Magaddino to Buffalo. Joe Aiello of Chicago may have been connected briefly, and there's debate over Gaspare Milazzo being an actual boss of Detroit, but he also started under Schiro. Although Schiro himself wasn't from Castellammare, his predecessors (Paolo Orlando and Sebastiano DiGaetano) were.

[RicoJames_93]

Thanks, great read as always !
Would love to visit Castellammare one day.
https://youtu.be/Zd_mZe_-G_w

[maxiestern11]

Yes, interesting read. I notice that the list of Castellammarese in America includes those from neighboring cities like Alcamo, so not quite as many from the actual city of Castellammare. Would be interested in learning more of its earliest leaders. There's a big knowledge gap when it comes to the history of Castellammare. We do know that Joe Bonanno's family wasn't as powerful or important as he claimed it was. The Magaddinos were the dominant ones in his faction, which also included the Galantes and Bonventres. Vito Buccellato was apparently the actual rappresentante back then. Salvatore Maranzano apparently became a boss and was the provincial boss of Trapani before he came to the U.S.

It's also interesting that in the U.S. most started out under Nicolo Schiro in Brooklyn, then went on to become bosses of other Families. Francesco Lanza went to San Francisco, Gaspare Messina went to head Boston, Salvatore Sabella to Philadelphia, and Stefano Magaddino to Buffalo. Joe Aiello of Chicago may have been connected briefly, and there's debate over Gaspare Milazzo being an actual boss of Detroit, but he also started under Schiro. Although Schiro himself wasn't from Castellammare, his predecessors (Paolo Orlando and Sebastiano DiGaetano) were.

The following surnames were all well-entrenched mafioso families dating back many generations from Castellammare and its outer environs. Most of their grandfathers, fathers, uncles, cousins, brothers, and in-laws were all involved for many decades and were among the ruling “men of honor” dating back to day one of the towns history. Men such as;
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Vito (Don Vito) Vitale, his son Michelangelo, and their brood.
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The powerful Bonventre family, from which of course is where Vito Bonventre descended from.... and in later years (1960’s-1970’s) we get Cesare Bonventre, whom I believe also descended from that bloodline.
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Felice and Francesco Buccellato, and their many relatives were major powers as retold by Joe Bonanno in his autobiography..... over sixty-seventy years later we see Frank and Joseph Buccellato who immigrated from there to become important Bonanno Capodecina 1950’s-1980’s era).
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The Rimi family was another large presence (and still is).
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The Magaddino’s - Pietro, Stefano, Antonino, etc... and their fathers and grandfathers before them.
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The notorious Badalamenti family had many blood relatives who resided in both Cinisi (of which Tano Badalamenti was the Capo) and lived also in Castellammare over the years. They are still a presence.
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The Navarra, Asaro and Evola families are also little-known but powerful mafioso broods. They trace their lineage back a hundred years, in Trapani and America as well.
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Salvatore Maranzano was a respected soldato who had married into the very powerful Minore family if memory serves me. His wife Elizabetta was a Minore.... they are still active today.

..... and this list goes on and on, much more extensively than I’ve even reported about.
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I wouldn’t make too much of whether they resided in the heart of Castellammare or moved over the years and the generations to Alcamo, Scopello, Cinisi, or even Calatafimi. All these areas as I mentioned in my story are within a stones throw of one other... a few miles east or west of Castellammare proper. For instance, my cousin moved 7-8 years back to Alcamo. She was born in Castellammare but got a great deal on a condo there where her fiancée lived, so for her job and lifestyle, they grabbed it. But her mother and brother still live in Castellammare and she’s there nearly every other day.

That is why I included Alcamo, Calatafimi, Scopello, San Vito Lo Capo, and a few others towns in my story. Because in reality they act as one, with fluidity back and forth as needed through antiquity!

And Antiliar, many of the other names you mentioned were of course pivotal players as well. Many of those same surnames are indeed active today. Power shifts over fifty-hundred years, but they are all still “men of honor” within the cosca, whether soldati, Capo di decina or higher.

[maxiestern11]

Thanks, interesting read as always.
Bonanno built his family around his own compatriots, no doubt to ensure a sense of loyalty, but I guess one of difficulties when dealing with the renegade faction was that DiGregorio was himself - Castellmmaresi .

I agree. And to be truthful, I think Bonanno became a little too full of himself toward the end. And did not show proper respect to his capi and soldati. Allowing his idiot son to leapfrog over loyal (and capable) men who’d put in decades on the front lines. Imagine the nerve, and sheer stupidity, to try and elevate some asshole college kid who wasn’t even raised “on the streets” above seasoned and veteran mafiosi? .... to be consigliere no less! It’s comical!

And that was not all. He was a very, very, very cheap guy. Capo di decina who’d been with him for decades were scraping a living (not all, but many). And the rank and file? Worse! .... so we saw the result right?

By the way, I wanna thank you and anyone else who verbally compliments my stories and stuff... after all the BS I go through on here sometimes, it is refreshing! Lol

[maxiestern11]

Thanks, great read as always !
Would love to visit Castellammare one day.
https://youtu.be/Zd_mZe_-G_w

Thank you! For reading, enjoying and the nice comments.

And yes, Castellammare is (as most of Italy/Sicily) an enchanting place. You feel as though you stepped into a time machine back to antiquity.

I’m going over this coming summer with my family to visit.... I’m very much looking forward to it. And my kids are thrilled!

[Lupara]

Appreciate the effort (and enthusiasm) you put into this. Helps keep the forum afloat too.

[stubbs]

San Vito Lo Capo is a great beachside town to visit too! And if you’re in the area, Trapani and Erice aren’t too far either.

[mafiastudent]

Good evening everyone.....Maxie doesn't know how to post photos so I'm doing it for him.....along with something he wanted to say about them rather than making two posts......
___________________
I felt inspired this evening by this story line.... so I decided to treat the forum to an authentic Sicilian dish my grandmother and mother taught me to make when I was about 11 years old - Bistecca alla Siciliano - Casteddammaresi style.

Here is the finished dish.... It is simple to make and so delicious! ..... I know my grandmother is up there looking down on me with a big smile about now.

[maxiestern11]

Appreciate the effort (and enthusiasm) you put into this. Helps keep the forum afloat too.

Thank you Lupara (I like that name Lupara... Lupo...the Wolf.. ), and yes all my investigative stories I’m very passionate about. But this one in particular I wanted (I needed), to do justice to!

So glad you liked it.

[maxiestern11]

San Vito Lo Capo is a great beachside town to visit too! And if you’re in the area, Trapani and Erice aren’t too far either.

Yes Stubbs, San Vito Lo Capo has become a major tourist attraction over the last 20-30 years. Especially for the Europeans. It’s like what our Miami Beach or Fort Lauderdale is for Americans, especially east coast people.

[Confederate]

San Vito Lo Capo is a great beachside town to visit too! And if you’re in the area, Trapani and Erice aren’t too far either.

Yes Stubbs, San Vito Lo Capo has become a major tourist attraction over the last 20-30 years. Especially for the Europeans. It’s like what our Miami Beach or Fort Lauderdale is for Americans, especially east coast people.

Some East Coast people also come down to the Southernmost part of the "South" to Pensacola Beach or Destin. Our beaches in the panhandle are much cleaner with whiter sand & blue water than Miami Beach.
In addition, I think the much smaller tight knit (everybody is related) Clans of the Sicilian Mafia are better in the long run to sustain over a 200 man American Family. You could never beat the Sicilians as far as organization & secrecy IMO.

[maxiestern11]

San Vito Lo Capo is a great beachside town to visit too! And if you’re in the area, Trapani and Erice aren’t too far either.

Yes Stubbs, San Vito Lo Capo has become a major tourist attraction over the last 20-30 years. Especially for the Europeans. It’s like what our Miami Beach or Fort Lauderdale is for Americans, especially east coast people.

Some East Coast people also come down to the Southernmost part of the "South" to Pensacola Beach or Destin. Our beaches in the panhandle are much cleaner with whiter sand & blue water than Miami Beach.
In addition, I think the much smaller tight knit (everybody is related) Clans of the Sicilian Mafia are better in the long run to sustain over a 200 man American Family. You could never beat the Sicilians as far as organization & secrecy IMO.

1000% correct Confed... they run from 10-20 to maybe 50,60, or as I said 70-90 in Castellammare (which is actually large by comparison to their amici). And many, many, are blood related or have been amici, their blood families too, for a hundred years..... it IS their birthright. And their “life” and the very air they breath so to speak.

Not like in America where it’s just a business. And guys are heaped together who really don’t know each other. Or give a rats ass for one another..... the old days of cohesion are GONE in America.

But in Italy/Sicily? Lol..... they’ll be around a hundred years from now. It is SO pervasive. It goes to the core, the bones, of the government itself....

Read the part I wrote about Bernardo Mattarella. I think that speaks to what we are discussing and says it all, ok pal.