150 years ago, at the border between the central Italian regions of Lazio and Abruzzo, the so-called ‘Gang of Cartore’ hid in the wild mountainous area at the foot of Mount Velino, fighting against the invasion of the House of Savoy. The new rulers from the north had increased taxes tenfold on a population that was already extremely poor and had also imposed compulsory draft when it was practically impossible for young men to take time from working the land.

Going into hiding was, then, an act of rebellion; and the stories of these bandits also comprise much violence in terms of abductions, ransoms, abuses, suffered or perpetrated. It’s a little-known history that took place around the time of the unification of Italy (mid-1800s), which today is being rediscovered thanks to a walking route known as ‘Cammino dei Briganti,’ Path of Bandits.