It’s planned as a summit, a dinner with all the locali of Lombardy, in Paderno Dugnano, a village in Milan’s outskirts, nine miles north of Lombardy’s capital. We’re not in Locri, in Calabria. We’re not in the South. We’re just outside the ancient gates of Milan. A dinner is arranged for 31 October 2009, at the Falcone-Borsellino Social Club in Paderno. How ironic! Holding a meeting of ’Ndrangheta associates in a club which bears the name of two anti-mafia magistrates famously assassinated by the Mafia. Only two representatives from each locale are invited to the dinner, about thirty people in all. The evening’s organizer, Vincenzo Mandalari (boss of the Bollate locale), sees to all the details: the meeting place for everyone is the parking lot of a multiplex cinema and from there the bosses are shuttled to the club by car in several trips. ‘Leave your cars here,’ Mandalari instructs them. ‘Leave your cell phones turned off, leave them here in the car, and come with me.’ He also provides the heavies stationed in front of the club, to stand guard. He is the first to arrive at the Falcone-Borsellino club that evening: he has the horseshoe arranged his way, and has the windows covered with posters so no one can nose around from outside.

By 8.30 all the bosses are seated at the u-shaped table. The centre seats are reserved for Pino Neri and Vincenzo Mandalari. Their supremacy is clear: when one of the bosses gets up to pour some wine for the guests, he pours theirs first. The door to the kitchen is closed because it’s time for the bosses to ‘have a word’ and no one should overhear them.

Before starting dinner, Pino Neri gives an introductory speech introducing the candidate for the role of ‘mastro generale’ of Lombardy, who will be responsible for overseeing relations with Calabria. Neri proposes Pasquale Zappia and the voting follows, with Mandalari himself administering the roll-call vote. Neri’s speech is that of a consummate politician. On the one hand he stresses the respect that the central command has for Lombardy, and in fact every Lombard locale will maintain its own sovereignty. But the rules must be adhered to, and to assign new ranks they must await clearance from Calabria. ‘From now on, you must abide by terms and regulations.’ He goes on: ‘We are all, each of us, equal and responsible to the “mother”.’ Less than half an hour later, all the guests rise to make a solemn toast in honour of the new mastro generale, Pasquale Zappia.

Among those arrested in Milan in the major investigation into the ’Ndrangheta, Il Crimine, is a senior health official from the region, Carlo Antonio Chiriaco, medical director of the local health authority in Pavia.