Li chiamarono… briganti! 1999

Carmine Crocco Enrico Lo Verso is an outlaw from Rionero in Vulture, a town in Basilicata, who is drawn into banditry after he confronts a man harassing his sister. This early act casts him into a life defined by risk and rebellion, and his path soon intersects with the sweeping upheavals of the Risorgimento.

He joins Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Expedition of the Thousand against the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, hoping for a pardon from the Savoy government in exchange for military service. The promise proves hollow, and Crocco is arrested, while he also notes how the economic strain of the era—new taxes and mounting unemployment—feeds discontent among the people.

After a brief release aided by the local clergy, Crocco is convinced by the cleric Don Pietro Remo Girone to become the leader of a resistance against Victor Emmanuel II. Don Pietro promises money and weapons to back a fight that would place Crocco at the helm of a movement, and Crocco accepts, forming an army drawn largely from the region’s poorest inhabitants.

The brigand army moves to conquer the Vulture region in the name of King Francis II, and their growing influence earns them the sympathy and support of local communities. This rising threat alarms the new Italian government, which assigns General Enrico Cialdini Benoît Vallès to quell the rebellion. Cialdini’s campaign is ruthless, marked by mass killings and reprisals that extend even to women and children, along with widespread confiscation of vital supplies.

To bolster his efforts, the Bourbon government in exile dispatches the Spanish General José Borjes to Basilicata to reinforce and discipline the brigands. Crocco is wary of Borjes from the start, fearing a loss of his hard-won leadership, yet he accepts the uneasy alliance for the moment. After a string of victories, Crocco ultimately breaks with Borjes to avoid serving under a foreign commander and to preserve his autonomy.

Crocco’s internal cohesion weakens when his lieutenant, Caruso Ennio Coltorti, betrays him by revealing concealed hideouts to the authorities. The betrayal triggers a cascade of casualties, with many of Crocco’s men captured and executed by firing squad. As losses mount and the outlook grows bleaker, Crocco faces a harsh reality: the only way to survive is to flee and continue the struggle from the shadows.

Throughout this conflict, the clash between local loyalty, foreign interference, and mounting state power paints a complex picture of a region torn between tradition and the march toward a unified Italy. The story follows not just a single rebel, but a web of motivations, alliances, and betrayals that underscore the volatility of Basilicata during a transformative era.