Pizzino (Italian pronunciation: [pitˈtsiːno]; plural as pizzini) is an Italian language word derived from the Sicilian language equivalent pizzinu meaning "small piece of paper".[1] The word has been widely used to refer to small slips of paper that the Sicilian Mafia uses for high-level communications.
Sicilian Mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano is among those best known for using pizzini, most notably in his instruction that Matteo Messina Denaro become his successor. The pizzini of other mafiosi have significantly aided police investigations.[2]
- ^ Lorenzi, Rossella (2006-04-17). "Mafia Boss's Encrypted Messages Deciphered". Discovery News. Discovery Channel. Archived from the original on 2006-04-21. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Palazzolo, Salvo (13 November 2007). "Palermo, nei "pizzini" del boss Lo Piccolo i nomi dei "soldati" delle cosche (Palermo, "pizzini" of boss Lo Piccolo name the "soldiers" of the mafia clan)". La Repubblica (in Italian). Rome, Italy. Archived from the original on 23 June 2008.