to wonder if other people grew up thinking the mafia aren't real?

[Alameda]

I know they are but deep down I still don't think I completely believe

don't shout at me, am just curious to know if dismissing them as a sort of conspiracy theory was common once upon a time

Alameda - the mafia are so powerful in Italy that they virtually run the government. It's no longer just about drugs, prostitution or protection. It's so powerful and corrupt, corruption is an end to a means in Sicily and although there are many brave Italians who try to beat them they are, I fear, fighting a losing battle.
As Vamos said, in Palermo many shop owners pay protection money called pizzo. There are some who have refused and there are shops in palemo which display a sign saying No Pizzo to try and encourage people to use their shops. In our town our mafia boss has been on the run for about 35 years, nobody pays Pizzo, the boss doesn't want anyone to pay Pizzo.
The last big afia boss they caught in Sicily, Provenzano, had been on the run for about 40 years. They eventually caught him living in a shepherds hut about 10 miles from where he was originally from .
The Godfather wasn't actually filmed in Corleone, it was filmed in the less corrupt area of Sicily by Taormina. However there is a village not too far there called Montelepre which is where the bandit Salvatore Guiliano was from.