Palermo is a city that takes time to understand. You have to slow down. You have to walk through the narrow alleys of the Vucciria, seduced by the smells of Sicily and the cooking of its people, and you have to watch the shops — their doors, their stickers, their posture. Then you begin to understand that something is happening here that goes far beyond tourism.

On some shop doors, there is a small sticker. It shows a crossed-out banknote. Beneath it, two words: Addiopizzo — in English: goodbye, protection money.

In the summer of 2004, seven young men met in Palermo. They wanted to open a pub. And then one of them said out loud what they were all thinking: "What if the Mafia comes and demands protection money?"

At the time, an estimated 80 percent of all traders in Palermo paid the so-called pizzo — the obligatory tribute to the Cosa Nostra. Those who refused risked broken windows, torched cars, supplier boycotts. At worst, something worse.

From that question, those seven men found an answer — in a single night. They covered the entire city centre of Palermo with black-bordered stickers, like obituaries. On them, a sentence that has echoed through the city ever since:

That night gave birth to the Comitato Addiopizzo, founded in 2005. Today, over a thousand shops, restaurants and hotels display the logo — publicly, at the entrance, visible to all.

In 2009, three of the founders — Dario Riccobono, Francesca Vannini and Edoardo Zaffuto — took the next step. They founded Addiopizzo Travel: a travel agency connecting pizzo-free accommodation, restaurants and tours. The idea behind it is as simple as it is radical: tourists should have a choice.

You book a room in a certified B&B. You eat at a trattoria that carries the logo. You join a three-hour walk through the historic centre of Palermo — past the places where the Mafia left its mark, but also past the people who say loudly: we do not want this. The guide carries a blue backpack that reads NO MAFIA. You recognise him immediately.

Those who want to go deeper take the Corleone tour. You travel to the town that has become a worldwide synonym for the Cosa Nostra — not to gawk at landmarks, but to understand: how did all of this begin? Why did Sicily become what it became? Guests on this tour are often surprised by how large and how loud the voices of the anti-Mafia movement already are. The image you take home is different from the one you arrived with.

This is not trauma tourism. It is memory. And it is a choice.

Edoardo Zaffuto is co-founder of Addiopizzo Travel. He studied Modern Italian Literature, is an experienced webmaster and cycling tour guide — and one of those people who do not stop at anger, but build something from it. When asked why this work matters to him personally, he answers with a sentence from judge Paolo Borsellino:

For Zaffuto, this applies not only to Palermo. To truly love a place does not mean looking away from its wounds. It means taking responsibility.

The Addiopizzo logo is not a marketing tool. For a business owner who places it on their door, it is a public statement. One that can have consequences. Over the years, several Mafia turncoats have explained that extortionists often preferred not to approach shops connected to Addiopizzo — because that choice sent a clear message: this person is likely to report, is not afraid, and has a community around them.

When a traveller chooses one of these places, they say something to that entrepreneur that is hard to translate: I am here also because of the choice you made. You are not alone.

For anyone who wants to discover Palermo — and is ready to see a city that is more than arancini and Baroque facades. For travellers who care about where their money goes. For anyone who believes that tourism can also be an act.

Tours are available in English, German, Italian and French. School and university groups come regularly from across Europe for study visits. What is being built here is one of the most remarkable examples of civil society resistance the Mediterranean world has seen.