Giuseppe Coppola
| Giuseppe Coppola | |
|---|---|
 Busto di Giuseppe Coppola.jpg Bust of Giuseppe Coppola | |
| Born | 18 March 1821 Erice, Sicily, Italy |
| 💀Died | 14 January 1902 Erice, Sicily, Italy14 January 1902 |
| 💼 Occupation | Patriot, revolutionary |
| Known for | Leader of Erice volunteers in Garibaldi’s 1860 campaign |
| Honors | Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy |
Giuseppe Coppola (18 March 1821 – 14 January 1902) was an Italian patriot and revolutionary from Erice, Sicily. He played a prominent role in the 1848 uprising in Trapani, later joined the Expedition of the Thousand[1], and led hundreds of volunteers at the Battle of Calatafimi in 1860.[2][3]
Biography
Coppola was born in Erice on 18 March 1821.[3]
At this time Sicily was part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, ruled by the Bourbon dynasty from Naples. In 1848, widespread discontent with Bourbon rule sparked revolts across the island, part of the larger wave of liberal revolutions that swept Europe.
In Trapani, Coppola emerged as one of the most influential members of the revolutionary committee. Alongside Enrico Fardella, he led the assault on the Castello di Terra, and was subsequently appointed Vice-Governor of the province of Trapani and Major of the National Guard.[3]
After the failure of the 1848 revolution, Coppola continued to conspire against the Bourbon regime. He endured imprisonment and exile, including confinement on Favignana in 1856–57 and again at the end of 1859.[3][4]
Released from prison in Trapani at the outbreak of the April 1860 insurrection, he reorganized the local resistance.[3][2] When Bourbon forces regained control, Coppola went into hiding and awaited the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi in the mountains near Castellammare del Golfo.[3]
During the Battle of Calatafimi on 15 May 1860, Coppola commanded a detachment of about 800 infantry and 25 cavalry.[3][4][5] Contemporary accounts also describe his leadership of local volunteer fighters (picciotti), noting that “at least two hundred picciotti, led by Coppola, threw themselves into the thick of the fighting”.[6] This battle marked the first major engagement of Garibaldi's campaign in Sicily, part of the wider Risorgimento movement and the operations of the Southern Army. Coppola continued with Garibaldi to Palermo and was entrusted with the task of expelling the Bourbon garrison from Trapani.[3]
After the unification of Italy in 1861, Coppola retired to Erice. He did not again take part in the political or administrative affairs of the town.[3] He died at his home in Erice on 14 January 1902.[3]
Commemoration
Coppola is remembered in Erice with a bust in the Balio Gardens and several plaques.[4]
On the façade of the Palazzo Municipale is a marble plaque installed in 1910 to commemorate the 875 men from Erice who joined Garibaldi's 1860 campaign for Italian unification. Led by Coppola, they fought at Calatafimi. The plaque records the town's gratitude to its citizens who contributed to the liberation of Sicily.[4]
Another marble plaque is affixed to his former residence in Via Vittorio Emanuele, inscribed (in English translation):
- In this house died on 14 January 1902 Cavaliere Giuseppe Coppola, Grand Officer of the Crown of Italy, whose bold spirit was not subdued by exile in Favignana, nor by persecution or imprisonment. Fighting with 875 men of Erice, valiant in arms, esteemed in public affairs, the grateful homeland carved this stone on 15 May 1910.[4]
He is also commemorated by Via Giuseppe Coppola, a street located near Trapani's Museo regionale Agostino Pepoli.[3] His historic residence, Villa Coppola in Valderice, dating to the 17th century, is being restored with PNRR funding, reflecting its cultural and historical importance.[5]
Legacy
Coppola is commemorated locally as a leader of the Risorgimento in Sicily. His role in the 1848 uprising and his command during the campaign of 1860 have made him a symbol of civic pride in Erice.[4]
Gallery
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Commemorative plaque on Giuseppe Coppola’s former residence, Erice -
Commemoration plaque on the Palazzo Municipale, Erice (1910)
References
- ↑ "Spedizione dei Mille" [Expedition of the Thousand]. Enciclopedia Italiana (in italiano). Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fenoglio, Nadia (2023). «L’isola dei nostri sogni». Una storia politica e sociale dei volontari garibaldini del 1860 [“The Island of Our Dreams”: A Political and Social History of the Garibaldian Volunteers of 1860] (PDF) (PhD thesis) (in italiano). Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo. p. 68.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Mario Fontana, ed. (13 February 2009). "E-note biografiche delle nuove strade" [Biographical Notes of the New Streets] (PDF) (Municipal biographical reference work) (in italiano). Erice: Città di Erice. p. 39.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Cataldo, Carlo (2005). Epigrafi garibaldine nel Trapanese [Garibaldian Epigraphs in the Province of Trapani] (PDF). Quaderni / Studi Garibaldini (in italiano). 7. Marsala: Centro Internazionale di Studi Risorgimentali Garibaldini. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vultaggio, Pietro (17 January 2023). "Valderice, verso il recupero di Villa Coppola" [Valderice, towards the restoration of Villa Coppola]. Quotidiano di Sicilia (in italiano). Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ↑ Martinico, Vito. "I "Picciotti"" [The “Picciotti”] (PDF). Paceco (in italiano). La Koinè della Collina. p. 9. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
Category:1821 births
Category:1902 deaths
Category:People from Erice
Category:People from Sicily
Category:Italian revolutionaries
Category:19th-century Italian people
Category:Italian people of the Italian unification
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