Early life Maria Occhipinti was born to Giorgio and Concetta Sgarioto in
Ragusa, Sicily on July 29, 1921. She attended three years of school before dropping out to train as a seamstress. Occhipinti married at age 17, and her husband went into war shortly after their marriage.
Politics and activism When her husband went off to war, Occhipinti, described as restless and curious by nature, Despite the original scandal, Occhipinti managed to bring other women into labor organizing. In December 1944, though, draft cards began to arrive, asking men take part in "the reconstruction of the Italian army," as ordered by the
Bonomi government. At first, she was confined in
Ustica, where her daughter Maria Lenina, also known as Marilena, was born. Occhipinti and her newborn were transferred to the Benedictine prison in
Palermo. Maria Lenina spent the first months of her life in prison, and her mother served almost two years.
Life after prison When Occhipinti returned to Ragusa after her incarceration, the local communist party had disowned her. The party saw the 1945 revolts as reactionary. The anarchists of Ragusa, though, offered Occhipinti "solidarity and friendship." The "political and human solace" Occhipinti found in the anarchists followed her for the rest of her life, and she participated in libertarian political activity for many years. Occhipinti began writing for an anarchist press and her politics became staunchly
anti-authoritarian. She participated in actions against poverty, as well as physical, psychological, and moral slavery, especially that of women. Starting in the 1960s, Occhipinti began to travel, visiting
Morocco,
Paris,
London,
Canada, and more. She continued to travel for over 25 years, to
Naples,
Sanremo,
Rome,
Switzerland, and the
United States. In France, she spoke with other political thinkers, notably
Jean-Paul Sartre and
Simone De Beauvoir. Occhipinti's daughter accompanied her in her travels, and decided to stay in Canada when she was 18. In 1973, Occhipinti returned to Italy and settled in
Rome. She maintained her ties to the anarchist movement and also integrated into
feminist movements, adopting
pacifist and
anti-militarist ideas. She joined the league for unilateral disarmament later in the 1970s. In 1979, she fought against the adoption of agricultural land for industrial use in Ragusa. Even later in life, she participated in anti-militarist actions, speaking publicly in 1987 against US missile bases and war in
Comiso and opposing installation of nuclear missiles there. She died in Rome on August 20, 1996, from complications of
Parkinson's disease. == Book ==