Bonus: A Culture of Silence: The Franca Viola Story
Listen to episode here:
In December 1965, an armed gang abducted a 17-year-old girl from her home in a premeditated raid. Their ringleader had been stalking and intimidating the girl and her family for months before striking. He intended to abuse and humiliate her, breaking her down, until she agreed to marry him. The law was on his side, and if she refused, she would be shunned by her community. Instead, Franca Viola courageously took her attacker to court, in a trial that sent shockwaves through Italian society.
Franca Viola’s Background
Franca Viola was born in 1948 in the coastal town of Alcamo, Sicily. Her parents, Bernardo and Vita Ferra, were a farmer and housewife. They had a vineyard and land just outside of Alcamo. In 1963, when she was 15 years old, Viola became engaged to a local man, 23-year-old Filippo Melodia. Early engagements and marriages were common in both Sicily and in many regions of Italy at the time. Franca’s parents, Bernardo and Vita initially approved of the engagement, however, Melodia’s reputation as a criminal, and mafia links soon caused them to rescind their approval for the marriage.
Melodia was the nephew of an established Sicilian mafia member, Vincenzo Rimi, and had seemingly followed his uncle into a less-than-legal way of life. After Melodia was arrested and charged with theft, Bernardo Viola dissolved the engagement, and Franca moved on with her life. The source material is unclear as to the exact sequence of events, but it appears that Melodia may have served a short sentence for the theft charges, and subsequently moved to Germany for a time.
Two years later, in 1965, Fillipo Melodia returned to Sicily and was enraged to discover that Franca was now engaged to another man. From what I can tell, this anger did not stem from a deep love he had for Franca as a person, but rather from a sense of ownership and possession over her. He approached Franca several times, in an attempt to rekindle their relationship, but she turned him down every time. Melodia then turned his rage on the men who surrounded Franca. He threatened her father, Bernardo, and her fiancé and childhood friend, Giuseppe Ruisi. His behaviour grew more and more erratic. Before long, he was everywhere. Watching Franca and letting her know that he was watching her. The stalking behaviour quickly escalated.
A Culture of Fear
The Sicilian mafia or Cosa Nostra are a criminal enterprise originating on the island of Sicily, dating back to the early 19th century. The mafioso, as they were known, roughly translates to ‘swagger’, and often comprised of families that controlled territories, and generally worked within a strict honour system. Some of these families and systems were transported from Italy to the United States, where their business enterprises were expanded. These included drug and alcohol trafficking, particularly during Prohibition, human trafficking and prostitution, racketeering, casinos and waste recycling.
The mafia are, and certainly were, steeped in a kind of toxic masculinity, where strength, violence and public acts of brutality were rewarded. Sicily was carved up by different mafia families. We can’t discount the power and influence mafia families had over their territories, and the fear they instilled in those around them. They were practically untouchable by the law.
In 1925, Benito Mussolini attempted to eradicate the mafia, hoping that a swift victory would solidify his power base and provide a propaganda opportunity for his regime. He was only partially successful in his endeavour, and while many Mafiosi were arrested, and operations quashed, post-war Italy saw a kind of revival for the mafia. It also saw many feuds between rival families emerge, as they battled for supremacy on the tiny island. By the 1950s, there had been a post-Fascist mafia revival, and the Sicilian mafia had branched off into the cement business, which provided huge profits, and could also be used as a front for money laundering schemes. 1962 also saw the first Mafia War, that spilled into Italy and even the United States.
Tradition
Italy has always held traditional values. This was especially true in the first half of the 20th century. Traditional gender roles were not just upheld, but celebrated, and the position of women in Italian society was often difficult and oppressive. One such attitude that severely disadvantaged women was around sexual violence. It simply wasn’t taken seriously, and accusations of rape rarely went to trial or resulted in any kind of conviction. This permissive culture around violence against women also extended to women’s bodily autonomy and their choice of who to marry. While arranged marriages were common, particularly through mutual agreements with both families, forced marriages were more of a rarity.
Many countries had legal protection for rapists, but none for the victims of rape. Rape was seen as shameful and a moral failing – not on the part of the rapist, but on the part of the victim. This widespread attitude was codified in law. In Italy, the Rocco Code was passed by Mussolini’s fascist government. Under Article 544 of the Syndical Laws, as they were officially known, a man accused of raping a woman, even a minor, could negate the offence by marrying the victim. The victim presumably had no say in this arrangement, as agreement would be sought from the victim’s family, usually the patriarch. The rapist would escape any legal repercussions from the act, and the victim would be coerced into agreeing to the match.
Under this law, rape was viewed as a crime of public morality, rather than a crime against an actual person. A rapist could simply marry their victim and avoid prosecution. In Italian, this was known as ‘matrimonio riparatore’, or reparatory marriage. The alternative was to risk being shunned by the community, being seen as tainted, and to be followed by whispers for the rest of your life. Victims would be seen as ‘fallen women’, or ‘women without honour’, as if they had been active participants in their own violation. Many victims would never be able to marry if they rejected the proposal. Fillipo Melodia was about to try to take advantage of this law, and Franca Viola was destined to challenge him every step of the way.
The Night of the Abduction
Christmas Day 1965 had passed, and the Viola family had celebrated together. It was now the middle of the night, and the family were sleeping. The 26th of December 1965 was a Sunday. Il Silenzio by Dalida was the number one song in Italy that week, and The Sound of Music (1965) was the highest grossing film globally that year. Franca Viola was home with her mother, Vita Ferra and younger brother, 8-year-old Mariano. Her father, Bernardo was out, possibly visiting family or tending to the crops or animals on his land. A group of twelve armed men broke into the Viola home, waking the family. Franca recognised the ringleader as her former fiancé, Filippo Melodia, the man who had stalked her for months.
Franca fought against her attackers, refusing to leave with them, but despite her struggle, she was dragged from the house into a waiting car. Specific details are sparse, but it’s believed that some physical violence was used on both Franca and her mother, with Vita being badly beaten. Mariano refused to let go of his sister, and so the men also bundled him into the vehicle and drove off. Vita chased the car, managing to grab onto it as it sped off. She was dragged for some distance, before being left bloody on the ground, watching her two children disappear into the distance. She immediately raised the alarm and tracked down her husband, Bernardo. A few hours later, Mariano was found wandering alone on the outskirts of the town.
The Ordeal
Franca was taken to a farmhouse outside of the town. It belonged to Melodia’s sister and brother-in-law. Fillipo raped Franca repeatedly. He beat her and denied her food and water for at least the first three days that he kept her confined. He taunted her, hoping to invoke reparatory marriage. Confident that he would face no legal or social consequences. Franca’s family desperately searched for their missing daughter. The source material doesn’t give details of any potential police investigation, but at the time, some members of the Sicilian police were heavily embedded with the local mafia families. They may have taken a step back, and seen it as more of a domestic dispute, or one that would be resolved by the families. Thankfully, there are several arms of the Italian police, with different areas of responsibility. The Carabinieri, an armed military police force were contacted, and organised a dragnet operation to apprehend Melodia and his cronies.
The Rescue
Several days later, on the 31st of December, Melodia contacted Bernardo for the paciata or ‘appeasement’. Essentially a verbal contract, whereby the men would agree to a reparatory marriage to restore the honour of the now-shamed woman. The Carabinieri encouraged Bernardo to at least appear to negotiate and agree to the marriage, as it provided the best way for them to locate and retrieve Franca. It worked.
On Sunday the 2nd of January 1966, eight full days after she had been abducted at gunpoint, Franca Viola was freed, and her abductors arrested. Bernardo asked his daughter if she actually wanted to marry Melodia, to which she said no. Unusually for the time and place, Bernardo supported his daughter’s wishes, and refused the marriage proposal on her behalf. Franca was both tenacious and defiant, but the society that she was part of was not as progressive.
The Trial
Franca sued Fillipo Melodia for kidnapping and rape. This was the first time in Italy that a woman who had been raped publicly refused reparatory marriage. The fact that she also wanted legal repercussions for her abductor and attacker was unheard of at the time. While her family supported her, the community did not. The family were socially ostracised from their community, and those close to Melodia continued his campaign of intimidation. The trial would take several months to prepare for and was scheduled to begin in December 1966. The acts of intimidation ramped up, eventually resulting in the Viola farmhouse and vineyard being burned to the ground in an act of arson. This left the family homeless and destitute. Yet, they remained resolute in their decision to prosecute the man who had taken so much from them. Speaking later, Franca said that it was ‘not a courageous gesture. I only did what I felt I had to do, as any other girl would do today. I listened to my heart’.
The trial began on the 9th of December 1966, and lasted for nine days. Crowds descended on the courthouse for the duration of the trial. Local and national media took a strong interest in the case. During the trial, Melodia’s defence team attempted to paint him as a man in love, and Bernardo Viola as a tyrannical father, hellbent on keeping two star-crossed lovers apart. Franca disputed this narrative. The prosecution painted a picture of an honourable father, who acted with integrity by involving authorities, rather than taking the situation into his own hands, as so many had done before him. Ultimately, Fillipo Melodia was found guilty of all crimes, and sentenced to 11 years in prison. This legal victory was unprecedented in Italy. Seven of Melodia’s accomplices each received a sentence of four years imprisonment.
Changing History
Franca’s act of rebellion sent shockwaves through Italian society. While she was rejected by many of her peers in Alcamo, she was embraced by the Italian media, who took notice of this brave young woman taking a stand against the violence committed against her. Cultural attitudes were far slower to change. The Italian media openly discussed the virtues of a supposed ‘fallen woman’. A 1967 article, congratulated Franca on her legal victory, but decided that she was ‘destined to live as a spinster’. This prevailing attitude framed Franca as being brave, and even morally righteous in her actions, but still viewed her as being tainted by what had been done to her. One television show that same year held a panel discussion, and asked men if they would marry a woman like Franca, knowing what she had been through. Every man in the discussion agreed that Franca had demonstrated great courage, but none would be willing to marry her.
Looking at this, it seems obvious that this was social pressure. The men interviewed probably didn’t personally have a problem with marrying a woman who was not a virgin, particularly if this had occurred against her will, but did have a problem with their peers knowing that this was the case. Women all over Italy were inspired by Franca’s actions. A legal and cultural precedent was set, and it wouldn’t be as easy for rapists to hide behind this arcane law and avoid prosecution. In the year directly following Melodia’s trial, at least four more women in Sicily alone refused reparatory marriage proposals.
In December 1968, almost three years after her abduction, Franca Viola married Giuseppe Ruisi, an accountant and childhood friend who had stood by her throughout her ordeal and the media attention that followed. The Italian media celebrated with the couple. The Minister for Transport sent them a month of free rail passes. Then Italian president, Guiseppe Saragat, send the newlyweds a cash gift as a wedding present. They also received an audience with the Pope. They went on to have three children, two sons and one daughter.
Italian director, Damiano Damiani made a film in 1970 about Franca’s case, called The Most Beautiful Wife, starring Ornella Muti. Filippo Melodia was banished from Sicily for his mafia connections and served his sentence in northern Italy. He was released in 1976 and was killed in a mafia-style execution in April 1978. Article 544 was finally abolished in Italy in 1981. It wouldn’t be until 1996 that Italian law was changed to make sexual violence a crime against a person, rather than against public morality.
Sources:
Alioto, Daisy, ‘Franca Viola Says ‘No’’, Mashable.
https://mashable.com/feature/franca-viola
Canepa, Valentina, ‘Inspiring Thursday: France Viola’, Women Against Violence Europe’, 2nd May 2019.
https://wave-network.org/inspiring-thursday-franca-viola/
Cullen, N. (2016). The case of Franca Viola: Debating Gender, Nation and Modernity in 1960s Italy. Contemporary European History, 25(1), 97-115. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777315000491
‘Franca Viola’, Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franca_Viola
‘Franca Viola, the woman who defied the Italian tradition by refusing to marry her rapist, 1966’, Rare Historical Photos.
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/franca-viola-marry-rapist-1966/
Hamilton, E.L., ‘A Brave Young Woman Fought a Centuries-old Cruel Sicilian Tradition and Won’, The Vintage News, 14th March 2018.
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/03/14/franca-viola/
Jaba, Sam, ‘Franca Viola and Her Revolutionary Disobedience: How France Viola’s Resistance Changed History in Italy’, Chapterz Magazine, 10th August 2022.
https://chapterzmagazine.com/2022/08/franca-viola-and-her-revolutionary-disobedience/
‘Sicilian Mafia’, Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia
Rajan, Ravi, ‘Franca Viola: Fearless Woman Who Refused to Marry Her Rapist’, The Crime Wire, 16th November 2023.
Tan, Michael, L., ‘Reparative Marriage’, Inquirer, 12th March 2024.