Rome– Within the icy walls of Regina Coeli prison, a meeting destined to change the criminal history of the Capital. Nicolino Selis, known as 'The Sardinian', originally from the province of Nuoro, and Antonio Mancini, the future 'Beggar', are locked up for attempted murder and theft.
Article Key Points
It is here that Selis reveals his plan: to do in Rome what Raffaele Cutolo had done in Naples with the Nuova Camorra Organizzata. Unite the gangs to take over the city.
The alliance in prison
“We were two rebellious boys”, Mancini tells the agency Say. “Outside I helped the prisoners, including Selis. We had a good friendship. Every week, someone from his family came to me for money and cocaine. He didn't sniff, but in prison having drugs gives you allies.”
When Mancini is arrested for a robbery at Montedison in Abruzzo and transferred to Regina Coeli, Selis confides in him his idea: “He wanted to unite all the gangs in Rome. He said: 'Here everyone is in charge, but we are the ones who attack the armored vehicles, while others extort. Should we worry about them?'”
The names that matter
Selis asks Mancini to indicate trusted people. “I made three or four of them, including Edoardo Toscano”, continues. But another name emerges: Franco Giuseppucci, considered by many – also thanks to the series Criminale Romance – the true creator of the Band. In reality, the story is more complex.
Revenge and double-crossing
Selis and Mancini suffer an affront from Franchino 'The Criminal'. When the latter escapes, he is supported by Giuseppucci himself. But an understanding is born between the two: Giuseppucci aims to control horse racing betting, Selis seeks revenge against Nicolini. The common goal unites them, and Nicolini is eliminated.
Then, the discovery: “Selis was a double game, he was Cutolo's man in Rome”, reveals Mancini.
The Band Without Leaders
“There were no hierarchies, everyone was on the same level”, he explains. “None of us ever did more than five years. Only me and Colafigli, because they caught us with a dead man.”
The “journalistic” name
And the name Banda Magliana? “It was born by chance”, says Mancini. “Fulvio Lucioli, 'Er Sorcio', during the interrogations said 'those of the Magliana'. But in reality we were everywhere, in every area of Rome.”
Today, 50 years later, the legend of the Banda endures. Between myth and reality, a story of power, betrayal and blood that marked an era. And Rome has never really forgotten her.
Article published on 4 April 2025 - 18:24
