Ciccio Cappuccio
| Ciccio Cappuccio | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1842 Naples, Italy |
| Died |
December 5, 1892 Naples, Italy |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Other names | 'O Signorino |
| Known for | Head of the Bella Società Riformata (Beautiful Reformed Society) as the Camorra was known at the time |
| Allegiance | Camorra |
Francesco Cappuccio (ca. 1842 – December 5, 1892), better known as Ciccio Cappuccio or 'O Signorino, was a legendary Guappo and the capintesta (head-in-chief) of the Camorra, a Mafia-type organisation in Naples in Italy, in the last half of the 19th century. He is credited with modernizing the Bella Società Riformata (Beautiful Reformed Society) as the Camorra was known at the time.
Ciccio Cappuccio was raised in a known criminal family in the infamous Imbrecciata street in the Vicaria neighbourhood in Naples, a zone full of violence, prostitution and camorristi. The family ruled the area since 1756 when Leopoldo Cappuccio, known as 'O Mastriano, imposed his authority. In 1781, a Royal decree ordered all brothels in Naples to be moved to the Imbrecciata, which became the only zone where prostitution was tolerated.
The only authority that ruled the area was the Camorra, which maintained order by force as a kind of unappointed justice of the peace while demanding kickbacks. In 1853, Ciccio Cappuccio took over the reins of his father Antonio Totonno Cappuccio, who ran a tavern in the area.
In 1855, the municipality surrounded the Imbrecciata prostitution area with a high wall to close of the neighbourhood. When the forces of Giuseppe Garibaldi advanced towards Naples in June 1860 in an effort to unify Italy, political unrest increased in the city. Cappuccio formed a demonstration with hundreds of prostitutes and camorristi in redshirts – the symbol of Garibaldi – and tore down the wall. The next day, authorities ordered the rebuilding of the wall. In the night of August 27–28, 1860, when Garibaldi was closing in on Naples, Cappuccio led another assault on the wall and destroyed it again.
Meanwhile, Garibaldi’s troops were preparing to enter the city, and a major battle seemed inevitable. Desperate to avoid large scale bloodshed, the police chief, Liborio Romano, turned to the head of the Camorra, Salvatore De Crescenzo, to maintain order and appointed him as head of the municipal guard. Cappuccio also entered the Camorra-dominated guard. As such, he understood the changing political climate and did not oppose the rebuilding of the wall, threatening anyone who dared to oppose his decision.
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