Francesco Barbaro (13 May 1927 – 1 November 2018), also known as U'Castanu, was a boss of the

'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a mafia-type organized crime, criminal syndicate originating from the Calabria region of Italy. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 65–68 This body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to the ...

, a

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

-type criminal organisation based in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Born in

Platì Platì (; ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria, southern Italy. It rises above sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte mountains and is located next to the Aspromonte National Park. History P ...

, he was the head of the

Barbaro 'ndrina The Barbaro 'ndrina is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina belongs to the '' locale'' of the town of Platì. According to the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (DIA - the Itali ...

. He was the son of Francesco Barbaro and Marianna Carbone, who at the beginning of the twentieth century gave rise to the powerful Barbaro 'ndrina, which was later divided into various branches, namely the Castani (a nickname of Francesco), the Nigri, the Pillari and the Rosi, with links to all the most important gangs of the 'Ndrangheta.'Ndrangheta, morto in carcere a Parma il boss Francesco Barbaro
La Repubblica, 2 November 2018 Barbaro was known as the king of kidnapping in the 1980s. He became a member of ''

Camera di Controllo The ''Camera di Controllo'' (Board of Control), is a collegial body of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria in Southern Italy. It is also known as ''La Provincia'' (the Province) or ''Camera di Compensazione'' (compensation board ...

'', a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta formed at the end of the

Second 'Ndrangheta war The Second 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal organisation in Calabria (southern Italy). The conflict raged from 1985–1991 in Reggio Calabria. Practically all the 'ndrine in Reggio Calabria grouped into eith ...

in September 1991, to avoid further internal conflicts.Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia
, Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, 19 January 1999

'Ndrangheta heritage

In the 1950s the clan was involved in a bloody feud with the Mammoliti 'ndrina from Castellace in the municipality of

Oppido Mamertina Oppido Mamertina (, ) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Reggio Calabria in Calabria in southern Italy at about northeast of Reggio Calabria and about southwest of Catanzaro. It is the seat of the Diocese of Oppido Mamertina. The mun ...

. In the end the Mammoliti clan prevailed and the Barbaros moved back to

.Esposizione introduttiva del Pubblico ministero nel processo nei confronti di Giulio Andreotti
Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia Palermo, 1994 Many of the 'Ndrangheta clans in Platì, such as Trimboli, Sergi, Romeo, Zappia, Papalia and Marando are associated through blood relations, which center around the Barbaro.Relazione annuale sulla 'ndrangheta
Commissione parlamentare di inchiesta sul fenomeno della criminalità organizzata mafiosa o similare, February 2008 Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', p. 123 Platì has been called the "cradle of kidnapping" and it is suspected that kidnap victims were held within a complex network of tunnels.
The Independent, 31 July 2002 The money extorted with kidnappings was invested in drug trafficking and construction in northern Italy, in particularly around Buccinasco, near

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

.Ma fu Ierinò a parlare di regia unica
La Repubblica, 20 September 1992 The clan participated in a cartel of 'Ndrangheta families involved in cocaine trafficking with the Mafia family of Mariano Agate.Italia. Uno degli affari di Cosa Nostra e 'Ndrangheta insieme
ADUC droghe, 30 May 2003

Arrest

Francesco Barbaro was arrested on 5 January 1989.
La Repubblica, 6 January 1989 Over the years, Francesco's son

Giuseppe Barbaro Giuseppe Barbaro (; born 24 May 1956 in Platì), also known as ("the Disappeared"),list of most wanted fugitives in Italy The list of most wanted fugitives in Italy is a most wanted list published by the Italian Interior Ministry. It includes criminals who are considered extremely dangerous by the Polizia di Stato. The list was started in July 1992. There are also l ...

until his arrest on 10 December 2001.Preso Barbaro il superlatitante
La Repubblica, December 11, 2001 Another son of Francesco, Rocco Barbaro, was arrested on 8 February 2003.
La Repubblica, 8 February 2003 One of his daughters married Giuseppe Pelle, one of the four sons of

Antonio Pelle Antonio Pelle (; March 1, 1932 – November 4, 2009), also known as Ntoni Gambazza ("Tony Bad Leg"), was a historically significant and charismatic 'Ndrangheta boss from San Luca in Calabria. He was the patriarch of the San Luca ''Locale ('Ndrangh ...

, the 'Ndrangheta boss from

San Luca San Luca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in Italy, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about east of Reggio Calabria. The town is situated on the eastern slopes of the Aspromonte mountains and in the val ...

, securing a tight alliance between the two powerful 'ndrine.Morto Antonio Pelle, "patriarca" di San Luca
, Gazzetta del Sud, 5 November 2009 Arrested for the first time in the 1970s, when he served six years in prison for conspiracy to commit a crime, Barbaro was subsequently convicted of a kidnapping in Calabria in 1989. He was sentenced to life imprisonment together with his nephew Antonio Papalia from Buccinasco (Milan) for the murder of Brigadier Antonino Marino, which took place in

Bovalino Bovalino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about east of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,406 and an area o ...

(Reggio Calabria) on 9 September 1990. Barbaro died in the prison of Parma at the age of 91 on 1 November 2018. At the end of his life he was considered a kind of relic by his great-grandsons, based in Italy and abroad.

References

*Arlacchi, Pino (1988). ''Mafia Business. The Mafia Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'', Oxford: Oxford University Press * Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006). ''Fratelli di Sangue'', Cosenza: Luigi Pellegrini Editore {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbaro, Francesco 1927 births 2018 deaths Barbaro 'ndrina 'Ndranghetisti People from the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria