Police will carry out checks in shops to ensure that the banned goods are no longer sold. Businesses that do not comply will be fined.

The ruins in the Valley of the Temples just outside Agrigento are considered the most beautiful examples of ancient Greek architecture outside Greece and attract numerous visitors.

Parallel to the ban in Agrigento, the island government has instructed airports to stop selling mafia memorabilia.

Alessandro Aricò, the city councillor responsible for transport and infrastructure, wrote to those responsible for the airports of Palermo, Catania and Trapani, as well as the small islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria, asking them to clear the shops in the terminals of such products.

Sicily must “maintain a dignified image, free from the usual negative stereotypes”, especially at entry points such as airports, he said.

“The sale of goods and souvenirs with mafia motifs must be stopped in the shops and shopping areas of Sicilian airports.”

This is not the first time that Sicily has tried to restrict the sale of such items.

Last year, the regional government decreed that ferries traveling to and from Sicily would be banned from selling mafia trinkets in their souvenir shops.

The Cosa Nostra consists of a coalition of families and clans, called “Cosche” in Italian. Each of these families and clans has a monopoly on operating in a specific area, engaging in drug trafficking, extortion and protection rackets.

The origins of the Sicilian Mafia are believed to date back to the 19th century, but some experts believe its roots go back even further.