The sorry phenomenon of brigandage which conditioned northern Tuscia life along the span of the 19th century, has been chosen as underlying theme of an historic itinerary running from Monte Rufeno (near Acquapendente) to Vulci (near Canino), across those places that witnessed many brigands' life, crimes and death.
It is possible to go along the path on foot, by mountain bike or riding a horse. The whole path lenght is traced by directional marks and endowed of explanatory material allowing to know about the most relevant cultural features of the path and the most famous brigands' figures whose deeds went down on history.
The project has been proposed by the Comunità Montana "Alta Tuscia Laziale" and by the communes of Canino, Ischia di Castro and Farnese; it has been carried out in November 2000 within the interventions provided by the Piano di Azione Locale of G.A.L "Alta Tuscia" and it has been presented in the Regione Lazio in order to reach EC financing Leader II. The project has obtained 78% of the funding from EC and 22% front the agencies promoting the project itself. The Comunità Montana has looked after contracts, realization and promotion.
The phenomenon of brigandage derived from pervasive penury, from a dull governement, from a giustice just to the richs and landowners only. It was also a false myth, brigands like Tiburzi, Biagini, Menichetti and others, were really long away from being those Robin Hood the actually are belived to be.
The best example of that is Domenico Tiburzi, rightly remembered to be the most famous brigand in Tuscia or the "King of Lamone", not because of his hearthlessness or courage but for his skillfullness in organizing his band, structured like a real firm: it had a president at the board (Tiburzi himself), a deputed manager (Domenico Bìagini) and a directorship whose staff was made of Pastorini, Basili and Bettinelli. At a certain time they all were judged to be guilty of betraying the firm's aims and were all "fired", or to be more explicit, physically liquidated.
The firm staff were bailiffs, wardens, and welloff, while its workers were the masses of poor people enroled in small towns and working as sutlers and tipsters. So it was a real criminal holding, something very similar to a Mafiosi conspiracy. In fact Tiburzi's reign lasted long, thanks to the web of relations he had woven with the local potentates, accurately avoiding any clash with the police and safeguarding the landowners business, from other brigands threath and from any other kind of problem; they received money fer that as a salary, an insurance or a health fee.
Going along the path it would not be possible to understand all this; the territory which once was a borderline, a malarious and poor place is nowdays a district rich in history and untouched nature. The brigands' path is supposed io be a further occasion to go deeper and know better the most secret and beautiful of this country.
Tiburzi, the Maremma leveller, and his gang will allow you to get in they territory, do it on tiptoe, from the woods depths they will watch you.
Have a nice walk.