Here is a good example of a modern Corsican vendetta knife from my collection. Note the head of a moor on the handle. The inscription on the blade reads: "Che la mia ferita sia mortale" - or roughly: "may all your wounds be mortal". (By the way, Corsica was the birthplace of Napoleon).
The vendetta code meant that if your honor or that of your family was impugned, you were bound to take action. The wrongdoer had to choose one of three S's: schioppo (gun), stiletto (dagger) or strada (the street - i.e., escape).
