On Berlusconi:
"I find Berlusconi's recent comments a real shame (during a press conference, he stated that Roberto Saviano's work was greatly damaging to Italy's reputation, editor's note). Today, in Italy, it has become increasingly complicated to talk about crime organizations, particularly as they are implicated in a large part of the country's economic activity. I have an opposing position to that of Silvio Berlusconi: we need to decode, to talk about the Camorra, to explain what it's doing. Often, the mafia does not kill with firearms; the mafia uses the media in order to destroy peoples' reputation. I am convinced that talking about the mafia does not promote it."
On the Camorra:
"In the village I was born in, and since my birth, 400 people have been killed. That's an enormous amount. The number of deaths often make headlines in the Italian press - the raison of their murder, however, is often silenced. In the world, the Italian mafia has become a model for numerous crime organizations in South America, in Spain. The mafia is also greatly investing abroad like, for instance, in Scotland."
On his protection:
"When the first threats began, I had the possibility to leave and seek refuge in Finland, which was prepared to give me asylum. I would have literally disappeared. I didn't accept because I dream of being able to talk about the mafia. I stayed in Italy and by chance, I live in the country, after Colombia, with the most number of policemen per member of the population. So, I am permanently with seven bodyguards and it is an unusual life. But in fact, and this is nothing heroic, I have never really been afraid of dying. It's paradoxical because I live in two opposite worlds: on one hand, people tell me I am in danger and share with me information indicating the preparation of an attack against me. On the other hand, people tell me that I risk nothing and that all this is exaggerated. It's strange!"
On being a journalist:
"Before, I could walk in the streets, meet people and observe situations. In fact, that is what I did when investigating the Camorra, because I infiltrated the network. But now, I can no longer do that. I tried once, in Calabria, but it was too difficult. I am no longer a ground reporter, but more of an analyst. Yet in my misfortune, I am lucky: since I am relatively famous following the success of my book, a lot of people trust me and numerous magistrates in the world give me their documents and files so that I may study them. So, I can continue to exercise my profession in this way. I am privileged."
On his success:
"When I released the book, only 500 copies were published. I never imagined getting this fame. In the publishing house, people liked my style of writing, but did not think that the information was that interesting. In fact, the opposite happened. I decided to seek inspiration from Truman Capote's style and his ‘new journalism' in order to tell things in a literary way. I think it is this choice that has, in part, contributed to my success."