La banda de los Sacco

In 1920s Sicily, the Sacco brothers—hardworking socialist farmers—refused to pay extortion money to the Mafia. When they turned to the authorities for help, they were met with indifference and eventually hostility. Forced into hiding to survive both Mafia attacks and police corruption, they effectively waged a private war against organized crime in their town of Raffadali.

However, when the Fascist regime launched its "War on the Mafia", the Saccos were falsely branded as a criminal gang to justify a massive police crackdown. Despite their innocence, the family was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes they didn’t commit. It wasn’t until 1962, decades after the fall of Fascism, that they were finally granted a pardon.

Based on historical documents, Andrea Camilleri recounts this tragic "Western of Sicily", illustrating how the Mafia and a corrupt legal system can combine to destroy innocent lives.

Author: Andrea Camilleri

Andrea Camilleri (1925–2019) was a celebrated Italian author, director, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the internationally acclaimed Inspector Montalbano mystery series.

Though he began his career in theater and television, he achieved extraordinary literary success later in life, becoming a bestselling author only in his late 60s.