340:. In April 1874 he staged a kind of coup dâetat in the Beautiful Reformed Society, deposing many district bosses and replacing them with others he could trust. His adversaries tried to have him killed. On 23 April 1874, a masked hitman entered Cappuccioâs shop on Piazza San Ferdinando and shot at him four times; one bullet grating his face. Rumour soon spread that the capintesta was dead. The news even reached the newspapers, causing uproar. The next day, his face bandaged, Cappuccio mounted a carriage and crossed half of Naples showing he was still alive. To celebrate the narrow escape, he went on a pilgrimage to
223:
324:(Beautiful Reformed Society) as the Camorra was known at the time. He established the rule that a Camorrista had to have a regular job as a cover. Much criticized at the time, given that members were almost all vagrants, this innovation later proved useful when special laws against the associations of criminals were issued and the criminals could prove to have honest and stable work. Together with his two lieutenants, Ettore Longo and Gaetano Buongiorno, the new
235:
292:
prices, thanks to the elimination of competition. The second step was the trade in bran and locust beans for animal feed, and this was the official activity carried out by many of the ringleaders. The sale of those commodities allowed them to control the ranks of the crews of coachmen and stable boys, on which they imposed the purchase of fodder for their horses. They also facilitated money lending at
276:), succeeding Salvatore De Crescenzo after a short interregnum. Both Cappuccio and De Crescenzo were arrested on 6 October 1869, with some 80 other camorristi. He was released after a month, and rumour has it that the arrest was merely a plot so that Cappuccio could thank the Camorra inmates for his election and hear their demands.
347:
The episode established his reputation of being invulnerable. To a certain extent, this was true because, since the failed assassination attempt, he wore a special steel mesh manufactured for him by a gunsmith. From that moment he became a sort of absolute monarch of the
Beautiful Reformed Society,
425:
where he worked. One day, with unexpected violence, he took his knife and slashed it across the face of his employer. Ciccio was arrested and sentenced to seven years in jail. When he entered the prison cell, he was approached with the usual request for lamp oil; the customary kickback new inmates
291:
at the piazza San
Ferdinando. The criminal control of the horse 'supply chain' was a fundamental segment of camorristic activity, in which most ringleaders, including Cappuccio, operated first and foremost. Criminal control began at auctions of the army's horse scraps, which were hoarded at low
360:
Just 50 years old, he died on 5 December 1892 from a heart attack while he was having dinner. Euphoric by a surplus of wine, he declared to his followers that he would be able to eat an entire tureen of codfish. He won the bet, and hundreds of camorrists applauded him. He got up to thank them,
214:, to maintain order and appointed him as head of the municipal guard. Cappuccio also entered the Camorra-dominated guard. As such, he understood the changing political climate and did not oppose the rebuilding of the wall, threatening anyone who dared to oppose his decision.
383:, immortalising the legendary Camorra chief. Days after his death, 'relics' began to circulate: small bottles filled with his blood, pieces of bone, strips of skin, probably taken by funeral workers, to do business on one of the Camorra bosses most celebrated by followers.
374:
At his funeral, the hearse, pulled by three pairs of black horses and covered with wreaths of flowers, was followed by over fifty carriages. The procession made its way around Naples, where the shops closed as a sign of mourning and respect. Three days after his death,
299:
Cappuccio's stature as a powerful crime boss rose not only within the
Camorra, but also in powerful circles of the Neapolitan society. He was approached by the police chief of Naples, Ermanno Sangiorgi, the same one who in 1898 in Sicily would write one of the
426:
had to pay. Cappuccio refused and was attacked by twenty inmates. Only one emerged unscathed from the battle: Ciccio
Cappuccio. Twelve ended up with battered heads and seven with broken arms. The story was recounted in Russo's poem, but is largely a myth.
203:â the symbol of Garibaldi â and tore down the wall. The next day, authorities ordered the rebuilding of the wall. On the night of 27â28 August 1860, when Garibaldi was closing in on Naples, Cappuccio led another assault on the wall and destroyed it again.
328:
also compiled a new code for the
Beautiful Reformed Society. The most interesting article, the one that revolutionized the ancient customs of the association, was marked with the number 151, and aimed to reduce the number of
417:
popular revolt in Naples incited by a strike of horse-cab drivers notoriously linked to the
Camorra, against the extension of tramways, which, in fact, happened eight months after the death of Cappuccio.
640:
265:
of the
Vicaria district to the east of the city, between the prisons and the courts. There the command of the organisation remained in the hands of the Cappuccio family for quite some time.
858:
798:
348:
abolishing the annual meetings of the district heads to elect the head-in-chief. His reputation was such that some camorristi preferred to commit suicide rather than be called before the
312:. A few years later, Cappuccio's intercession proved necessary to also recover the gold snuff box stolen from Michele Pironti, Attorney General and future Minister of Justice.
177:, imposed his authority. In 1781, a Royal decree ordered all brothels in Naples to be moved to the Imbrecciata, which became the only zone where prostitution was tolerated.
421:
The most retold legend is the one when he entered the prison of San
Francisco for the first time. He had a stutter and could not stand the orders of the master of the
206:
Meanwhile, Garibaldiâs troops were preparing to enter the city, and a major battle seemed inevitable. Desperate to avoid large-scale bloodshed, the police chief,
28:
874:
173:
neighbourhood in Naples, a zone full of violence, prostitution and camorristi. The family ruled the area since 1756 when
Leopoldo Cappuccio, known as '
308:. Sangiorgi asked Cappuccio to recover a gold watch studded with gems stolen from Baroness Nicotera-Ricco, wife of the then Minister of the Interior,
1154:
1064:
1013:
333:(duels) that continuously took place in the streets of Naples between Camoristi, killing each other and endangering the lives of passers-by.
563:
191:
In 1855, the municipality surrounded the
Imbrecciata prostitution area with a high wall to close off the neighbourhood. When the forces of
690:
533:
1119:
1083:
1048:
1029:
279:
After his release from prison, Cappuccio left the Imbrecciata and moved to the elegant Via Nardones. Close to his house he opened a
515:
1144:
548:
962:
199:, political unrest increased in the city. Cappuccio formed a demonstration with hundreds of prostitutes and camorristi in
361:
stammered a few words, then slumped his head on the laid table, in the throes of a heart attack. The "king of Naples" ('
473:
50:
713:
590:
839:
1092:
180:
The only authority that ruled the area was the Camorra, which maintained order by force as a kind of unappointed
249:
Naples was divided into 12 districts at the time, and the criminal activities in each district were headed by a
967:
242:
750:
406:(The Parrot) â so-named for his beak parrot nose â who took over the reign before being defeated by Alfano.
211:
1110:
222:
890:
261:(head-in-chief), the general head of the Neapolitan Camorra, which for a long period corresponded to the
1134:
409:
Over the years, more legends grew around his personality distorting the facts by fiction. Acts of other
27:
1139:
181:
1149:
895:
192:
169:
Ciccio Cappuccio was raised in a known criminal family in the infamous Imbrecciata street in the
1020:
184:
while demanding kickbacks. In 1853, Ciccio Cappuccio took over the reins of his father Antonio
161:
of his person mixes fact, fiction and legend, not least because of the journalism at the time.
1115:
1079:
1060:
1044:
1025:
1009:
916:
309:
200:
951:
822:
784:
609:
456:
398:(The Grenadier), from the Porta San Gennaro neighbourhood was elected. He was defeated in a
391:
376:
301:
227:
234:
1004:
305:
207:
146:
1128:
414:
387:
153:
in Italy, in the last half of the 19th century. He is credited with modernizing the
341:
196:
379:, a popular poet of the period, published a poem "Canzone 'e Ciccio Cappuccio" in
1074:
1055:
1039:
732:
564:"Il guappo" di Filippo Palizzi: quando un disegno vale piĂš di un libro di storia
367:
645:
422:
1100:
875:
Ferdinando Russo e la poesia per il capo della camorra don Ciccio Cappuccio
1093:
Sangue e miti della Bella SocietĂ Riformata, la Camorra di primo Ottocento
691:âO rammariello, âo âmpagliasegge, âo âmmolafuorfece , ...âo zarellaro,...
365:) was dead, according to an obituary in the Neapolitan daily newspaper
170:
142:
103:
150:
133:
46:
293:
288:
233:
221:
516:
Breve storia della prostituzione a Napoli dal cinquecento ad oggi
284:
157:(Beautiful Reformed Society) as the Camorra was known then. The
336:
All these innovations generated discontent on the board of the
226:
A guappo in typical dress at the mid 19th century. Drawing by
549:
Il sequestro Cirillo: un caso a lieto fine in odor di Camorra
413:
were attributed to him, including that of having quelled the
390:. Other sources mention that after the death of Cappuccio,
158:
1056:
Blood BrotherhoodsË A History of Italy's Three Mafias
195:
advanced towards Naples in June 1860 in an effort to
474:
Ciccio Cappuccio, il camorrista che sottomise Napoli
861:, by Ferdinando Russo, Il Mattino, December 9, 1892
99:
83:
73:
57:
34:
18:
536:, La Storia di Napoli (accessed October 30, 2011)
518:, Achille della Ragione (accessed July 11, 2012)
126:
1075:Potere camorrista: quattro secoli di malanapoli
948:Potere camorrista: quattro secoli di malanapoli
819:Potere camorrista: quattro secoli di malanapoli
781:Potere camorrista: quattro secoli di malanapoli
606:Potere camorrista: quattro secoli di malanapoli
453:Potere camorrista: quattro secoli di malanapoli
723:
721:
667:
665:
663:
661:
659:
657:
655:
402:â a kind of ritual initiation knife duel â by
492:
490:
488:
486:
272:of the Camorra by the twelve district heads (
268:In 1869, Ciccio Cappuccio was elected as the
8:
1097:Forum Italicum: A Journal of Italian Studies
832:
830:
766:Sangue e miti della Bella SocietĂ Riformata
466:
464:
701:
699:
26:
15:
444:
442:
440:
438:
188:Cappuccio, who ran a tavern in the area.
131:for his elegant manners, was a legendary
578:
576:
526:
524:
434:
352:, the supreme tribunal of the Camorra.
210:, turned to the head of the Camorra,
7:
891:Camorrist Told All To Win His Bride
241:(This is the Camorra). Drawing by
125:â 5 December 1892), also known as
14:
693:, by Raffaele Bracale, VesuvioWeb
1114:, Rome: Newton Compton editore,
344:and reaffirmed his leadership.
257:). These ringleaders elected a
1155:19th-century Italian criminals
1002:Barbagallo, Francesco (2010).
1:
1101:DOI: 10.1177/0014585818757202
245:, in "La bella Napoli" (1893)
119:
38:
799:La morte di Ciccio Cappuccio
218:Head-in-chief of the Camorra
116:Francesco "Ciccio" Cappuccio
1108:Paliotti, Vittorio (2006).
1059:, New York: PublicAffairs,
1037:Consiglio, Alberto (2005).
859:Canzone 'e Ciccio Cappuccio
1171:
1078:, Naples: Guida Editori,
1043:, Naples: Guida Editori,
320:Cappuccio modernized the
109:
95:
25:
1091:Nicaso, Antonio (2018).
844:L'Illustrazione Italiana
243:Christian Wilhelm Allers
1072:Di Fiore, Gigi (1993).
322:Bella SocietĂ Riformata
155:Bella SocietĂ Riformata
141:(head-in-chief) of the
127:
89:Bella SocietĂ Riformata
840:I funerali d'un Guappo
356:Death, myth and legend
246:
231:
212:Salvatore De Crescenzo
149:-type organisation in
1145:Criminals from Naples
1099:, Volume 52, Issue 2
1053:Dickie, John (2014).
1024:, London: Routledge,
963:The Camorra in Naples
404:Totonno 'o pappagallo
316:Reforming the Camorra
237:
225:
91:(present-day Camorra)
1111:Storia della Camorra
1005:Storia della camorra
985:Storia della Camorra
932:Storia della Camorra
710:Storia della camorra
676:Storia della Camorra
625:Storia della Camorra
587:Storia della camorra
501:Storia della Camorra
386:He was succeeded by
182:justice of the peace
1040:La camorra a Napoli
1018:Behan, Tom (1996).
913:La camorra a Napoli
733:La camorra a Napoli
971:, 22 December 1900
896:The New York Times
805:, December 6, 1892
747:Blood Brotherhoods
247:
232:
193:Giuseppe Garibaldi
165:Camorra background
1065:978-1-61039-427-7
1014:978-88-420-9259-9
881:, 3 December 2021
649:, 10 October 1869
310:Giovanni Nicotera
113:
112:
65:(aged 49â50)
1162:
1107:
1090:
1071:
1036:
1008:, Rome: Laterza
1001:
988:
982:
978:
972:
960:
954:
945:
941:
935:
929:
925:
919:
910:
906:
900:
888:
882:
872:
868:
862:
857:
853:
847:
846:, 1 January 1893
838:
834:
825:
816:
812:
806:
797:
793:
787:
778:
774:
768:
763:
759:
753:
743:
737:
729:
725:
716:
707:
703:
694:
689:
685:
679:
673:
669:
650:
639:
634:
628:
622:
618:
612:
603:
599:
593:
584:
580:
571:
570:, 29 August 2017
562:
558:
552:
547:
543:
537:
534:Ciccio Cappuccio
532:
528:
519:
514:
510:
504:
498:
494:
481:
472:
468:
459:
450:
446:
392:Giuseppe Chirico
377:Ferdinando Russo
363:âo rre 'e Napole
130:
124:
121:
74:Other names
64:
43:
40:
30:
20:Ciccio Cappuccio
16:
1170:
1169:
1165:
1164:
1163:
1161:
1160:
1159:
1125:
1124:
1105:
1088:
1069:
1034:
999:
996:
991:
980:
979:
975:
961:
957:
943:
942:
938:
927:
926:
922:
908:
907:
903:
899:, March 6, 1911
889:
885:
873:Gigi Di Fiore,
870:
869:
865:
855:
854:
850:
836:
835:
828:
814:
813:
809:
795:
794:
790:
776:
775:
771:
761:
760:
756:
744:
740:
727:
726:
719:
705:
704:
697:
687:
686:
682:
671:
670:
653:
637:
635:
631:
620:
619:
615:
601:
600:
596:
582:
581:
574:
560:
559:
555:
551:, Storia in Net
545:
544:
540:
530:
529:
522:
512:
511:
507:
496:
495:
484:
480:, 7 August 2017
470:
469:
462:
448:
447:
436:
432:
358:
318:
239:Ecco la Camorra
228:Filippo Palizzi
220:
167:
122:
69:
66:
62:
61:5 December 1892
53:
44:
41:
21:
12:
11:
5:
1168:
1166:
1158:
1157:
1152:
1147:
1142:
1137:
1127:
1126:
1123:
1122:
1103:
1086:
1067:
1051:
1032:
1016:
995:
992:
990:
989:
973:
955:
936:
920:
901:
883:
863:
848:
826:
807:
788:
769:
754:
738:
717:
695:
680:
651:
629:
613:
594:
572:
553:
538:
520:
505:
482:
478:Voce di Napoli
460:
433:
431:
428:
357:
354:
317:
314:
306:Sicilian Mafia
219:
216:
208:Liborio Romano
166:
163:
111:
110:
107:
106:
101:
97:
96:
93:
92:
85:
84:Known for
81:
80:
75:
71:
70:
67:
59:
55:
54:
45:
36:
32:
31:
23:
22:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1167:
1156:
1153:
1151:
1148:
1146:
1143:
1141:
1138:
1136:
1133:
1132:
1130:
1121:
1120:88-541-0713-1
1117:
1113:
1112:
1104:
1102:
1098:
1094:
1087:
1085:
1084:88-7188-084-6
1081:
1077:
1076:
1068:
1066:
1062:
1058:
1057:
1052:
1050:
1049:88-7188-917-7
1046:
1042:
1041:
1033:
1031:
1030:0-415-09987-0
1027:
1023:
1022:
1017:
1015:
1011:
1007:
1006:
998:
997:
993:
986:
977:
974:
970:
969:
964:
959:
956:
953:
949:
940:
937:
933:
924:
921:
918:
914:
905:
902:
898:
897:
892:
887:
884:
880:
876:
867:
864:
860:
852:
849:
845:
841:
833:
831:
827:
824:
820:
811:
808:
804:
800:
792:
789:
786:
782:
773:
770:
767:
758:
755:
752:
748:
742:
739:
735:
734:
724:
722:
718:
715:
711:
702:
700:
696:
692:
684:
681:
677:
668:
666:
664:
662:
660:
658:
656:
652:
648:
647:
642:
633:
630:
626:
617:
614:
611:
607:
598:
595:
592:
588:
579:
577:
573:
569:
565:
557:
554:
550:
542:
539:
535:
527:
525:
521:
517:
509:
506:
502:
493:
491:
489:
487:
483:
479:
475:
467:
465:
461:
458:
454:
445:
443:
441:
439:
435:
429:
427:
424:
419:
416:
412:
407:
405:
401:
397:
396:'o Granatiere
393:
389:
388:Enrico Alfano
384:
382:
378:
372:
370:
369:
364:
355:
353:
351:
345:
343:
339:
334:
332:
331:dichiaramenti
327:
323:
315:
313:
311:
307:
303:
302:first reports
297:
295:
290:
286:
283:shop selling
282:
277:
275:
271:
266:
264:
260:
256:
252:
244:
240:
236:
229:
224:
217:
215:
213:
209:
204:
202:
198:
194:
189:
187:
183:
178:
176:
172:
164:
162:
160:
159:mythicization
156:
152:
148:
144:
140:
136:
135:
129:
117:
108:
105:
102:
98:
94:
90:
86:
82:
79:
76:
72:
68:Naples, Italy
60:
56:
52:
48:
37:
33:
29:
24:
17:
1135:1840s births
1109:
1106:(in Italian)
1096:
1089:(in Italian)
1073:
1070:(in Italian)
1054:
1038:
1035:(in Italian)
1019:
1003:
1000:(in Italian)
984:
981:(in Italian)
976:
966:
958:
947:
944:(in Italian)
939:
934:, pp. 175â80
931:
928:(in Italian)
923:
912:
909:(in Italian)
904:
894:
886:
878:
871:(in Italian)
866:
856:(in Italian)
851:
843:
837:(in Italian)
818:
815:(in Italian)
810:
802:
796:(in Italian)
791:
780:
777:(in Italian)
772:
765:
762:(in Italian)
757:
746:
741:
731:
728:(in Italian)
709:
708:Barbagallo,
706:(in Italian)
688:(in Italian)
683:
678:, pp. 159-65
675:
672:(in Italian)
644:
638:(in Italian)
632:
624:
621:(in Italian)
616:
605:
602:(in Italian)
597:
586:
585:Barbagallo,
583:(in Italian)
567:
561:(in Italian)
556:
546:(in Italian)
541:
531:(in Italian)
513:(in Italian)
508:
503:, pp. 149-53
500:
497:(in Italian)
477:
471:(in Italian)
452:
449:(in Italian)
420:
410:
408:
403:
399:
395:
385:
380:
373:
366:
362:
359:
349:
346:
342:Montevergine
337:
335:
330:
325:
321:
319:
298:
280:
278:
273:
269:
267:
262:
258:
254:
250:
248:
238:
205:
190:
185:
179:
174:
168:
154:
138:
132:
128:'O Signorino
115:
114:
88:
87:Head of the
78:'O Signorino
77:
63:(1892-12-05)
51:Two Sicilies
1140:1892 deaths
1021:The Camorra
968:The Speaker
911:Consiglio,
736:, pp. 22-23
730:Consiglio,
415:August 1893
281:vrennaiuolo
263:caposocietĂ
251:caposocietĂ
197:unify Italy
175:O Mastriano
123: 1842
42: 1842
1150:Camorristi
1129:Categories
983:Paliotti,
946:Di Fiore,
930:Paliotti,
879:Il Mattino
817:Di Fiore,
803:Il Mattino
779:Di Fiore,
674:Paliotti,
623:Paliotti,
604:Di Fiore,
568:Il Mediano
499:Paliotti,
451:Di Fiore,
430:References
411:camorristi
381:Il Mattino
368:Il Mattino
350:Gran Mamma
338:capintriti
326:capintesta
274:capintriti
270:capintesta
259:capintesta
255:capintrito
139:capintesta
100:Allegiance
952:pp. 94-95
751:p. 108-09
646:La Stampa
457:pp. 87-89
423:wool mill
201:redshirts
764:Nicaso,
745:Dickie,
627:, p. 143
230:, 1866.
137:and the
994:Sources
987:, p. 62
641:Camorra
400:zumpata
304:on the
296:rates.
186:Totonno
171:Vicaria
143:Camorra
104:Camorra
1118:
1082:
1063:
1047:
1028:
1012:
917:p. 124
151:Naples
134:guappo
47:Naples
823:p. 90
785:p. 96
714:p. 55
610:p. 56
294:usury
289:carob
147:Mafia
1116:ISBN
1080:ISBN
1061:ISBN
1045:ISBN
1026:ISBN
1010:ISBN
287:and
285:bran
253:(or
145:, a
58:Died
35:Born
591:p.7
371:.
1131::
1095:,
965:,
950:,
915:,
893:,
877:,
842:,
829:^
821:,
801:,
783:,
749:,
720:^
712:,
698:^
654:^
643:,
608:,
589:,
575:^
566:,
523:^
485:^
476:,
463:^
455:,
437:^
120:c.
49:,
39:c.
636:*
394:,
118:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
