Monteleone di Puglia
Encyclopedia
Monteleone di Puglia is a hill town and comune
of the province of Foggia
in the Puglia region of southern Italy
.
for the Italian army, and the wives of those soldiers were left behind in misery, rage, and hunger. The event that sparked the revolt of the women of Monteleone was the arrogance of a Carabinieri officer who confiscated a pot of corn flour that was being carried to a local bakery by three women. The women resisted, pleading with the officer. The women were brought by the officer to the Fascist
regime-appointed mayor. The mayor sided with the officer, and the women were promptly jailed in a warehouse filled with cheese and other foods. The jailed women set the warehouse on fire and escaped. Upon hearing of the hoards of food being stored by the Carabinieri while the people were hungry an angry mob formed and the Carabinieri office was stormed. Police had trouble controlling the riot, and fired warning shots into the air. Soon after, police began firing bullets towards the crowd. Eventually, the citizens of Monteleone - armed with clubs and pitchforks - were subdued. Overall, 180 citizens were arrested and detained. Most rioters arrested had to serve a prison sentence anywhere from a few days to 15 months. This revolt was the first of its kind in Italy during the Second World War.
In the years following World War II, a large number of expatriates and their descendants have established a thriving community in Toronto
, Canada
. There is a club for those who have roots in Monteleone in Toronto.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of the province of Foggia
Province of Foggia
The Province of Foggia is a province in the Apulia region of Italy.This province is also known as Capitanata, originally Catapanata, because during the Middle Ages it was governed by a catapan, as part of the Catapanate of Italy...
in the Puglia region of southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
In 1942, southern Italy was on the verge of social, economic, and political collapse. Many men were sent to fight in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for the Italian army, and the wives of those soldiers were left behind in misery, rage, and hunger. The event that sparked the revolt of the women of Monteleone was the arrogance of a Carabinieri officer who confiscated a pot of corn flour that was being carried to a local bakery by three women. The women resisted, pleading with the officer. The women were brought by the officer to the Fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
regime-appointed mayor. The mayor sided with the officer, and the women were promptly jailed in a warehouse filled with cheese and other foods. The jailed women set the warehouse on fire and escaped. Upon hearing of the hoards of food being stored by the Carabinieri while the people were hungry an angry mob formed and the Carabinieri office was stormed. Police had trouble controlling the riot, and fired warning shots into the air. Soon after, police began firing bullets towards the crowd. Eventually, the citizens of Monteleone - armed with clubs and pitchforks - were subdued. Overall, 180 citizens were arrested and detained. Most rioters arrested had to serve a prison sentence anywhere from a few days to 15 months. This revolt was the first of its kind in Italy during the Second World War.
In the years following World War II, a large number of expatriates and their descendants have established a thriving community in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. There is a club for those who have roots in Monteleone in Toronto.