Defeat that ended Sicily’s separatist ambitions
Soldiers from the Italian army, bolstered by Carabinieri officers, decisively defeated the paramilitaries of the clandestine Volunteer Army for the Independence of Sicily at what became known as the Battle of San Mauro on this day in 1945.Concetto Gallo, who was
captured during the fight
The confrontation, which took place in the hills above the city of Caltagirone in southeast Sicily, concluded with the arrest of Concetto Gallo, commander of the paramilitary group, and the effective end of the movement for Sicilian independence that grew during the Allied military occupation of the island in World War Two.
The Volunteer Army (EVIS) had formed in February 1945 as a clandestine paramilitary wing of the Movimento per l'Indipendenza della Sicilia (MIS), a political party launched in 1943 with the aim of achieving independence for the island.
The party brought together individuals from across the political spectrum in Sicily under the leadership of Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile, including the revolutionary socialist Antonio Canepa, the social-democrat Giovanni Guarino Amella, local aristocratic land owners and even Mafia figures, such as the powerful Calogero Vizzini.
Canepa was a key figure in EVIS, which he modelled along the lines of the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, led by the future president of communist Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, a partisan army that fought against the occupying AXIS forces in World War Two.
The battle took place in the hills around the city of Caltagirone in southeastern Sicily |
Command passed briefly to Attilio Castrogiovanni, an MIS leader, and after his arrest to Gallo.
Vizzini had some success when he recruited Rosario Avila, a bandit involved in brigandry around the town of Niscemi, south of Caltagirone, to organise guerilla attacks on Carabinieri patrols. The involvement of another brigand, Salvatore Giuliano, had a major impact, such that the mainland government sent hundreds of reinforcements to the island in an effort to suppress his activity.
There was cross-party opposition to Sicilian independence in Italy's postwar government in Rome, which perhaps explains why the fighters of EVIS were ultimately overwhelmed by the numbers deployed against them.
When Gallo’s group of between 50 and 60 militants clashed with Carabinieri at San Mauro, they found they were also up against a battalion of the internal security division of the Italian Army as well, effectively outnumbering them ten to one.
The firefight was mercifully short-lived, with minimal casualties. Gallo and other separatist leaders were captured and taken into custody.
EVIS effectively disbanded early in 1946, but their struggle had not been in vain. MIS won four seats in the 1946 Italian elections and in May of that year, King Umberto II issued the Statute of Sicily, which made the island an autonomous region within the Italian State.
Travel tip:The ceramic steps of the Staircase of Santa Maria
del Monte attract many visitors to Caltagirone
The city of Caltagirone in southeastern Sicily falls within the metropolitan area of Catania, which lies some 70km (43 miles) to the northeast. It is well known as a centre for the production of pottery, particularly maiolica and terracotta. The city’s main attraction for visitors is the 142-step monumental Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, built from 1608 in the oldest part of the town. Each step is decorated with different hand-decorated ceramics and once a year in July, to commemorate the day of the city's patron saint, James, the staircase is illuminated with candles of different colours.
Travel tip:The sprawling city of Catania sits in the shadow
of Mount Etna, Italy's most active volcano
The city of Catania, which is located on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, is one of the ten biggest cities in Italy, and the seventh largest metropolitan area in the country, with a population including the environs of 1.12 million. Twice destroyed by earthquakes, in 1169 and 1693, it can be compared in some respects with Naples, which sits in the shadow of Vesuvius, in that it lives with the constant threat of a natural catastrophe. Eruptions of Etna are commonplace. As such it has always been a city for living life to the full. In the Renaissance, it was one of Italy's most important cultural, artistic and political centres and enjoys a rich cultural legacy today, with numerous museums and churches, theatres and parks and many restaurants. It is also notable for many fine examples of the Sicilian Baroque style of architecture, including the beautiful Basilica della Collegiata, with its six stone columns and the concave curve of its façade.
Also on this day:
1720: Venice’s historic Caffè Florian opens its doors for the first time
1847: The birth of sculptor Gaetano Russo
1891: The birth of WW1 flying ace Luigi Olivari
1941: The birth of mathematician Tullio Levi-Civita
1966: The birth of footballer Stefano Eranio
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