Giuseppe Coppola

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, and led hundreds of volunteers at the Battle of Calatafimi in 1860.

Coppola was born in Erice on 18 March 1821.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

Released from prison in Trapani at the outbreak of the April 1860 insurrection, he reorganised the local resistance. When Bourbon forces regained control, Coppola went into hiding and awaited the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi in the mountains near Castellammare del Golfo.^[1]

During the Battle of Calatafimi on 15 May 1860, Coppola commanded a detachment of about 800 infantry and 25 cavalry. This battle marked the first major engagement of Garibaldi's campaign in Sicily, part of the wider Risorgimento movement to unify Italy. Coppola continued with Garibaldi to Palermo and was entrusted with the task of expelling the Bourbon garrison from Trapani.^[1]

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.^[1] He died at his home in Erice on 14 January 1902.^[1]

Coppola is remembered in Erice with a bust in the Balio Gardens and several plaques.

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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.

• Coppola House, Erice
• Commemoration plaque, Palazzo Municipale, Erice