The Banda del Matese was a group of Italian republicans affiliated with the Italian

First International The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as ...

who plotted an insurgent rebellion in the

Matese mountains The Matese (Italian: Monti del Matese or Massiccio del Matese) is a chain of mountains in southern Apennines, southern Italy. Geography The Matese mountains straddle two regions ( Molise and Campania) and four provinces ( Campobasso, Isernia ...

in 1877. The group of 26 men included later anarchist leaders (

Carlo Cafiero Carlo Cafiero (1846–1892) was an Italian anarchist, champion of Mikhail Bakunin during the second half of the 19th century and one of the main proponents of anarcho-communism and insurrectionary anarchism during the First International T ...

Errico Malatesta Errico Malatesta (4 December 1853 – 22 July 1932) was an Italian anarchist propagandist and revolutionary socialist. He edited several radical newspapers and spent much of his life exiled and imprisoned, having been jailed and expelled from ...

), veterans of Garibaldi ( Pietro Ceccarelli, Vincenzo Farina), and Russian revolutionary Stepniak. Inspired by the 1875 rediscovery of

Carlo Pisacane Carlo Pisacane, Duke of San Giovanni (22 August 1818 – 2 July 1857) was an Italian patriot and one of the first Italian socialist thinkers. He argued that violence was necessary not only to draw attention to, or generate publicity for, a c ...

's writings, the group planned a rebellion through

propaganda by deed Propaganda of the deed (or propaganda by the deed, from the French ) is specific political direct action meant to be exemplary to others and serve as a catalyst for revolution. It is primarily associated with acts of violence perpetrated by pr ...

in which they would occupy buildings, upset rail travel and communication, and encourage property redistribution as a means of showing their group's dedication to sociopolitical change. They surrendered to the military after six days. The group was acquitted in 1878 and their means of propaganda was effective, but their campaign had proven the new limitations of guerrilla tactics in light of technical advances.

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