1. Maria Occhipinti became known as "an emblem Sicilian women's protest" in the mid-forties, as in 1945 she was involved in an anti-draft revolt in Ragusa, Sicily.
24 Facts About Maria Occhipinti
1. 2.
Maria Occhipinti became known through her book Una donna di Ragusa, published in 1957, although unnoticed until 1976, when a second edition was released.
3.
Maria Occhipinti was born to Giorgio and Concetta Sgarioto in Ragusa, Sicily on July 29,1921.
4.
Maria Occhipinti attended three years of school before dropping out to train as a seamstress.
5.
When her husband went off to war, Maria Occhipinti, described as restless and curious by nature, regained an interest in education and began to teach herself.
6.
Women, including Maria Occhipinti, played a large role in anti-draft protests.
7.
Maria Occhipinti frequently participated in these cries and suggested ways of avoiding the draft.
8.
Maria Occhipinti was 23 years old and five months pregnant in the beginning of 1945.
9.
Maria Occhipinti lived with her husband, parents, and sisters in the most populated area of Ragusa.
10.
Some civilians had approached the drivers and asked them to stop, and Maria Occhipinti joined them, attempting to convince the drivers to release the men and leave.
11.
Once the military had suppressed the rebels, leaders of the rebellion, including revolutionary communist Erasmo Santangelo and Maria Occhipinti, were arrested and incarcerated.
12.
At first, she was confined in Ustica, where her daughter Maria Occhipinti Lenina, known as Marilena, was born.
13.
Maria Occhipinti and her newborn were transferred to the Benedictine prison in Palermo.
14.
Maria Occhipinti Lenina spent the first months of her life in prison, and her mother served almost two years.
15.
When Maria Occhipinti returned to Ragusa after her incarceration, the local communist party had disowned her.
16.
Maria Occhipinti began writing for an anarchist press and her politics became staunchly anti-authoritarian.
17.
Maria Occhipinti participated in actions against poverty, as well as physical, psychological, and moral slavery, especially that of women.
18.
Maria Occhipinti continued to travel for over 25 years, to Naples, Sanremo, Rome, Switzerland, and the United States.
19.
Maria Occhipinti's daughter accompanied her in her travels, and decided to stay in Canada when she was 18.
20.
In 1973, Maria Occhipinti returned to Italy and settled in Rome.
21.
Maria Occhipinti maintained her ties to the anarchist movement and integrated into feminist movements, adopting pacifist and anti-militarist ideas.
22.
Maria Occhipinti joined the league for unilateral disarmament later in the 1970s.
23.
Maria Occhipinti died in Rome on August 20,1996, from complications of Parkinson's disease.
24.
In 1957, Maria Occhipinti published Una donna di Ragusa, or A Woman from Ragusa, an autobiographical book surrounding her involvement in the 1945 Ragusa revolts.