In my life I have three great passions: writing, cooking and Brigands. These may seem detached and unusual but a fine thread connects them which I always carried with me on this journey. I was born in a sunny area of southern Italy, Apulia. I had unruly curls, a winning smile, curiosity and the dream of coming to America, I called Merica, like the old immigrants who arrived here at Ellis Island, B...rooklyn and Staten Island like our ancestors. One night my paternal grandfather, took my hand and entreated a desire I had for some time which was know the history of my family, and the history of bandits who had passed through their lives, leaving an indelible mark. That mark that they would stay with me during my first forty years. That night was my first time the stories became real, they were not legends and lies. They all happened just as my grandfather had told me. While cooking, he told me those stories for hours, and he showed me the treasure that was left in our old house and tol