Stidda
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La Stidda (Sicilian, "star") is a name for criminal organizations centered in Gela, Sicily in Italy. Members are known as stiddari or stiddaroli. It is most active in the rural parts of southern Sicily and is partially a rival to Cosa Nostra.
The Stidda came into public view when Cosa Nostra member Francisco Marino Mannoia spoke about it in 1989. Later another mafia member Leonardo Messina told his own view. According to their testimonies, Stidda is an organization that was founded by former members of the Cosa Nostra during the Palermo Mafia war in the 1980s. They had been expelled due to disobedience or, in a couple of cases, marrying a relative of a policeman. The original leaders of the Stidda were Giuseppe Croce Benvenuto and Salvatore Calafato. A dynamite bomb later killed Stidda boss Calogero Lauria.
Stidda is not a tight organization and many gangs ("clans") operate relatively independently. They ally with each other or even the local chapter of Cosa Nostra. They have similar rituals and rules. There is also a membership tattoo. Older members use a needle and black and blue ink to carve a five-pointed star on the initiate's right hand between the thumb and index finger.
Stidda gangs exist in Agrigento province and in Milano, Genova and Torino.
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