Capo di tutti i capi or capo dei capi is Italian for "boss of all bosses" or "boss of bosses". It is a phrase used mainly by the media, public and the law enforcement community to indicate powerful bosses in the Sicilian and American Mafia (Cosa Nostra). The title has seldom been given to specific bosses because it could create tension between different factions (otherwise known as families) within the Mafia. Typically the title is awarded "de facto" to the boss of the most powerful mafia family. Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra), is an Italian criminal secret society which first developed in the mid-19th century in Sicily. ... Charles Lucky Luciano, one of the most famous American bosses (La) Cosa Nostra (our thing or this thing of ours in Italian) is a worldwide alliance of criminals, linked through both familial and conspiratorial ties, that is dedicated to pursuing crime and protecting its members. ...

In the U.S., between the late 1960s and the early 1990s, the Gambino crime family was regarded as the most powerful faction of the American Cosa Nostra. As a result, the leaders of the Gambino family during that time, starting with Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano, and later John Gotti, were considered as de facto capo di tutti capi by the media. It is worth noting, that the U.S. Cosa Nostra has not proclaimed a "boss of bosses" position since Salvatore Maranzano, but is instead ruled by The Commission. Following the death of Maranzano Lucky Luciano was de facto "boss of bosses". He never declared himself as such, realizing the futility of attempting to impose himself as the ultimate leader of the American Mafia.^[1] The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... John Gotti, The Dapper Don The Gambino Crime Family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities based in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or La Cosa Nostra). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Constantino Paul Castellano (June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985), better known as Paul Castellano (or PC to his family), was a mafia boss in New York. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Salvatore Maranzano (1868-1931) Salvatore Maranzano (1868-September 10, 1931) was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Mafia boss in the United States. ... The Commission is the governing body of the mafia in the United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the Sicilian Cosa Nostra the title does not exist. For instance, the old-style Mafia boss Calogero Vizzini was often portrayed in the media as the "boss of bosses" – although such a position does not exist according to later Mafia turncoats, such as Tommaso Buscetta.^[2] They also denied Vizzini ever was the ruling boss of the Mafia in Sicily. Nevertheless, the title is constantly given to powerful Mafia bosses until this day. During the 1980s and 1990s the bosses of the Corleonesi clan Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano were bestowed with the title by the media. Image:Calogero Vizzini. ... Tommaso Buscetta (Palermo, July 13, 1928- New York, April 4, 2000) was a Sicilian mafioso. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Corleone ... Salvatore Riina, also known as Totò Riina (born November 16, 1930, Corleone) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organisation in the early 1980s. ... Bernardo Provenzano in 1959, aged 26. ...

In April 2006, the Italian government arrested Bernardo Provenzano in a small farmhouse near the town of Corleone. His successor is reported to be either Matteo Messina Denaro or Salvatore Lo Piccolo. This presupposes that Provenzano has the power to nominate a successor, which is not unanimously accepted among Mafia observers. "The Mafia today is more of a federation and less of an authoritarian state," according to anti-Mafia prosecutor Antonio Ingroia of the Direzione distrettuale antimafia (DDA) of Palermo, referring to the previous period of authoritarian rule under Salvatore Riina.^[3] Corleone is a small town of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. ... Matteo Messina Denaro AKA Diabolik (April 26, 1962 - ) is a Sicilian mafioso. ... Salvatore Lo Piccolo (Palermo, July 20, 1942) is a Sicilian mafioso and one of the most powerful bosses of Palermo, Sicily. ... Salvatore Riina, also known as Totò Riina (born November 16, 1930, Corleone) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organisation in the early 1980s. ...

Provenzano "established a kind of directorate of about four to seven people who met very infrequently, only when necessary, when there were strategic decisions to make." According to Ingroia "in an organization like the Mafia, a boss has to be one step above the others otherwise it all falls apart. It all depends on if he can manage consensus and if the others agree or rebel." Provenzano "guaranteed a measure of stability because he had the authority to quash internal disputes."^[3]

References

• (Italian) Arlacchi, Pino (1994). Addio Cosa nostra: La vita di Tommaso Buscetta, Milan: Rizzoli ISBN 88-17-84299-0
• Raab, Selwyn (2005). Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires, New York: Thomas Dunne Books ISBN 0-312-30094-8