On May 23, 1779, a revolt broke out in Penne, involving laborers, farmers, and merchants, fearing an imminent threat of famine. The next day, these members forced the city governor and other civic leaders to call extraordinary elections. A middle-class man, Don Giacinto Mazzaccone, was elected chief executive, seizing power from the nobles who had traditionally governed the city. This revolt, known as the "Bread Riot," has been reconstructed using unpublished contemporary sources, including the court records of the investigation that followed these events.