Alberti was involved in numerous notorious Mafia events , such as the Ciaculli massacre in 1963 , the Viale Lazio massacre in 1969 , the disappearance of journalist Mauro De Mauro in 1970 , and the killing of Chief Prosecutor Pietro Scaglione in 1971 . He was one of the top mafiosi involved in cigarette smuggling and heroin trafficking in the 1970s . He once said of the Mafia : " Mafia ! What is that ? A kind of cheese ? " Alberti was the son of a fruit seller and was born and grew up in Palermo , in the derelict district of Danisinni . He was born at home ; the midwife begged to be allowed to bring his mother to the front door because of the lack of daylight in the house . He only went to school for four years . Alberti was initiated in the Mafia by Gaetano Filippone . His first test was to steal an entire cheese . In 1956 he was acquitted of a killing for lack of evidence
Viale Lazio massacre
Viale Lazio massacre
Gerlando Alberti