Structure wise it’s a lot more clannish - small groups called coschi - which is something to do with artichokes - and it’s much more territorial. Clans generally control areas, which can be anything from a few streets in a small village to a decent chunk of a whole city.

I think the artichoke reference is actually pretty apt because, whereas the American mafia works top down, I always think of the Sicilian groups as being circular, working around a central hub. It definitely feels more 'in it together' than the way it appears to work in the US.

The whole boss (cappo famiglia) / underboss (capo bastone) / consigliere / captain (caporegime) and solider (soldato) system is in place in the Sicilian groups but how they actually employ that is completely dictated by the clans itself. If the group is really small, or based in a fairly rural location, or if the boss is particularly open, it seems fairly common for soldiers to report directly to the boss, with no in between figures and just a consigliere to help resolves disputes.

This works firstly because there's no Rico-esque statute in place, so local bosses don't have to hide away and buffer themselves so much, and also because the idea of omerta is still very strong, among citizens as much as mafiosi, and people would still rather settle disputes themselves, rather than in a court of law or with the help of police / authorities.

It also works because bosses are, officially at least, directly elected by the soldiers - usually on a yearly basis. Obviously, as in any autocratic system, the guy in power almost always flexes his muscles to ensure he’s re-elected but genuine power shifts do happen. Part of the reason Toto Riina had to be so ruthless in the 80s was because there were so many potential power shifters around that could challenge his grip on the Corleonesi clan. He basically couldn’t get the total power he wanted until everyone was dead, so he just killed everyone. But yeah, bosses are, officially at least, elected by the soldiers every year. Being the boss isn’t really like being boss in the US though. There’s less all infallible power over the soldiers for a start – with consigliere more involved in holding the boss to account. That said, there is also a greater respect for the boss’s authority so you’re more likely to find guys obeying out of genuine respect for the position and structure than in America where respect is built more of sycophancy and fear.

The underboss is appointed by the boss, not elected, and basically just acts as his aide. He’s a senior figure but not particularly crucial to operations. Like Joe Biden though, he’ll have to step up and become boss if the boss is killed, until the next election anyway.

The consigliere is vital to Sicilian families. They are also elected every year and by their nature they need to be independent figures, waggling the rule book in everyone’s face. They often command greater respect than the boss and are often people that have previously been bosses but stepped back from that role. In fact that’s the way I think you could define it; the boss has the power, the consigliere generally has the respect, the soldiers do the work. If the balance is disrupted; someone steps out of line, or the boss is squeezing people too hard or whatever, it’s the consigliere’s job to use the respect he’s garnered to bend the boss or the soldiers back into shape.

The capo and soldier situation is basically the same as in the US, although the crews (or decina as they are called) are often a bit smaller and more closely knit than in the US.

There are roughly 90-110 coschi or clans in Sicily alone and as I said it is way more territorial than in the US. In terms of how they operate in a wider context, three neighbouring clans make up a mandamento. There are roughly 30 mandamento in Sicily. Some are fairly remote and connect three individual villages, others, particularly in Palermo directly border another mandamento. Somehow (and on this I’m not really sure exactly how) one of the three bosses of each mandamento’s clans is elected Capo Mandamento – ie head of the local region. I’m not sure if the Capo Mandamento has any particularly heightened authority of the local area, but it appears the main reason the role exists is so each region has a representative who can sit on the Commission.

There are both provincial Commissions – so each ‘state’ of Sicily can settle its personal business without needing to bother the bigger Sicily-wide Commission – known as the Cupola. The only areas of Sicily without regional commissions are traditionally Ragusa, Messina and Siracusa but when I was in Modica recently I read there are now thought to be small Commissions in Ragusa and Siracusa now too.

The larger Sicily wide Commission is basically just an extension of the Palermo provincial commission. Basically, almost everything you’ll ever read on the mafia in Sicily takes place in Palermo or Agrigento provinces, and the bulk of the power has always been with Palermo. Essentially what’s good for Palermo province is good for Sicily as a whole when it comes to the Mafia, with certain manadamenti within the Citta di Palermo itself having considerably greater power and influence than the entire Commission of some provinces.