By Giovanni di Napoli

My friends and I made our way to the Howard Beach Public Library in Queens, New York on Thursday for Si diedero alla macchia ("They went into hiding"), a concert dedicated to the brigands of Southern Italy by Michela Musolino and John T. LaBarbera. Unlike most other events scheduled for Italian Heritage Month, this concert offered a refreshingly critical look at la Bel Paese. Rather than the usual fawning over Italy's national heroes (Garibaldi, Mazzini, Cavour, etc.), the artists sang the praises of the defenders of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies instead.

Like the troubadours of old, Michela and John told the tragic story of the southern Italian "brigands" and their valiant struggle against the Piedmontese invaders through song and spoken word. Their set included some of my favorite southern Italian standards, such as La Tarantella del Gargano, Fammi Arristari and Siamo Briganti. I especially enjoyed their rendition of Il Sorriso di Michela, Eugenio Bennato's touching ode to Michela De Cesare, the Neapolitan brigantessa who fought and died for her country.

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Fonte: Magna Grece