Laura dropped me off at one of Addiopizzo's B&Bs: Sole Luna Della Solidarietà - Sun and Moon of Solidarity. The brightly painted three-room guesthouse in a 1930s palazzo with a terrace overlooking Palermo's laundry-laden balconies is run by Patrizia Opipari. She reminded me of my Italian grandmother: velvet-skinned and cuddly but with le palle - "balls of steel". Patrizia worked for 12 years on youth projects in some of the most deprived areas of Palermo where Cosa Nostra is a way of life.

She set up the B&B in 2004 to help fund the projects and now donates 5% of her profits to Arciragazzi, the children's charity.

"If you fear the mafia you live your life in black and white because your every action is controlled," Patrizia said, her voice echoing across the rooftops. She is not afraid to speak out - she even wears a sweat-shirt emblazoned with the words: "Without the mafia I see in colour". The rainbow theme runs through the house with coloured antique glass, enamel coffee cups and splashes of vibrant marigolds - a Sicilian version of carboot chic. A spherical lampshade hung in the hallway like a giant orange.

In the morning, Patrizia took me for a wander through La Kalsa,