The rumours have been making the rounds for weeks now. Sicily's President is obsessed with assassination attempts, mistrusts everyone and fears plots behind every corner.
This weekend La Repubblica, a leading Italian newspaper, seemed to confirm this concerns through an article that describes how Sicily's President has an official taster. Maria, is no longer just Lombardo's faithful secretary but also the official taster. Whether it is coffee, pasta or water or an arancino he will not enjoy it unless Maria has tasted or cooked it first.
In Palermo there is a lot of behind-the-scenes whispering about this man from Catania that swept away a lot of the established Palermo power-base upsetting many. Lombardo, mind you, is no stranger to power games. His control of Catania, his hometown, is absolute. And his party, the Movement for Autonomy, although small plays an important role at a national level.
Lombardo also ordered a new apartment built in the official residence of the Sicilian president - with maximum security being the overarching design principle. He travels with two Audi Quattro and a complete security detail that puts many other regional presidents to shame.
He has good reason to be worried though, it seems. While he has announced budget cuts in many areas of Sicily he has kept his beloved Catania well taken care of - an imbalance that has caused the ire of many enemies and allies.
A law proposal recently presented by his allies in parliament called for a continuation of the current parliament even if the President where to die. This did little to help ease Lombardo's fears. "Could my 'friends', explain exactly what risks I am facing. Otherwise this is a threat in very bad taste", he replied.
