Born in San Luca

He wanted a better life in a country where the laws are observed

Aged 17, Antonio Pelle emigrates to Germany, as so many of his family and friends have done. But despite carving out a successfulcareer for himself his ancestry from the Calabrian Mafia stronghold of San Luca does not relinquish its hold on him. He is forced to conceal the name of his hometown too frequently to be considered respectable. In August 2007, following a series of brutal „honour killings”by the ’Ndrangheta in his German hometown Duisburg, Pelle is wrongfully inculpated. He will never be able to shake off this stigma.

Antonio Pelle, born in 1955 in San Luca/Calabria, came to the Allgäu as a
migrant worker in 1972. After working in various restaurants, in the eighties
he opened up several of his own in and around Duisburg. His hotel „Landhaus
Milser”, founded in 1997 with the former weightlifting world champion Rolf
Milser, is frequented by many prominent politicians, film stars and athletes to
this day, amongst others the Italian national team during the World Cup in
2006. Pelle lives with his German wife and their two children in Duisburg,
in the Ruhr area.