WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Franca Viola

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh, and

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<v Speaker 1>Chuck's here and Jerry's here for Dave, So that makes

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<v Speaker 1>this an official short stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right, And we're going to issue a trigger warning

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<v Speaker 2>on this one. Part of the story has to do

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<v Speaker 2>with sexual assault, so we just wanted to kind of

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<v Speaker 2>let everyone know that that's coming. But ultimately this is

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<v Speaker 2>a story of courage and bravery.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. So if you go down to Sicily and southern

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<v Speaker 1>Italy and ask them what a fou atina is, they

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<v Speaker 1>will say, huh, we don't really do that anymore, but

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<v Speaker 1>we'll tell you what it is anyway. It means sudden escape,

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<v Speaker 1>and in its most benign form, it was a way

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<v Speaker 1>for couples who were consenting. They wanted to get married,

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<v Speaker 1>but their families were like, no, we don't approve of

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<v Speaker 1>this union, and therefore you can't get married. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a way for them to elope all right. So the

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<v Speaker 1>fu atina was essentially an elopement. The key to the

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<v Speaker 1>fu atina, though, was that the couple would wait a

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<v Speaker 1>little while, say a week, and then they would return

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<v Speaker 1>home and their families would presume that over the course

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<v Speaker 1>of that week this couple had had premarital sex. So

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<v Speaker 1>when they came back, the couple was like, now you

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<v Speaker 1>have to agree to letting us get married. And in fact,

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<v Speaker 1>it's going to be a specific type of marriage that's

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<v Speaker 1>prescribed by law and socially it's called the matrimonial repertory.

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<v Speaker 1>It's called a rehabilitating marriage. Right.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right, and that was a legal thing. It was

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<v Speaker 2>a socially accepted thing to where you could restore honor

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<v Speaker 2>to that bride. It was a loophole if he wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to get married and your parents didn't like he were

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<v Speaker 2>getting married to. But there was a very dark version

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<v Speaker 2>of this in which a man could take a woman

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<v Speaker 2>that he wanted to marry even if she didn't want to.

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<v Speaker 2>He could take her away, he could kidnap her, he

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<v Speaker 2>could hold her against her will, he could sexually assault her,

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<v Speaker 2>and then in the same way that that elopement, which

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<v Speaker 2>was consensual would have to be, you know, could restore

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<v Speaker 2>that marriage. They would then come back with a woman

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<v Speaker 2>and say, well, you are now a tainted woman. If

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<v Speaker 2>your damaged goods, no one's going to marry you. So

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<v Speaker 2>if you want to restore your honor and you want

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<v Speaker 2>to have a family, one day and be married. Then

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<v Speaker 2>you have to marry me your maybe your captor and assault.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And so it's a no win situation here, right,

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<v Speaker 1>because if you wanted to be not ostracized by your community,

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<v Speaker 1>if you wanted to ever get married, because no one

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<v Speaker 1>would marry you after you were essentially teened goods because

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<v Speaker 1>you had been sexually assaulted by this man. The only

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<v Speaker 1>way out of it was to consent to this rehabilitating

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<v Speaker 1>marriage because it would restore your honor and then also conveniently,

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<v Speaker 1>it erased any criminal act that had led to that marriage. Legally,

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<v Speaker 1>it let the man off the hook for kidnapping in

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<v Speaker 1>sexual assault because the woman had married her him, even

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<v Speaker 1>though she had no choice. If she ever wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>get married and say, have kids, her only chance now

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<v Speaker 1>was with the man who had kidnapped and sexually assaulted her.

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<v Speaker 1>That's just how that worked.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So this was a thing that went seemingly completely

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<v Speaker 2>unchallenged as far as anyone knows, until the mid nineteen sixties,

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<v Speaker 2>when a woman named Franka Viola came along and said no.

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<v Speaker 2>In nineteen sixty three, in her hometown of Alcamo, she

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<v Speaker 2>was fifteen years old, she was engaged to a twenty

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<v Speaker 2>three year old nephew of a Sicilian mafioso. His name

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<v Speaker 2>was Filippo Melodia, and they were headed toward marriage, but

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<v Speaker 2>he got nabbed for a crime for theft. Six months

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<v Speaker 2>into their engagement, she broke it off. He fled to

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<v Speaker 2>Germany to escape this, going to prison basically, and while

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<v Speaker 2>he was gone she became engaged. She fell in love

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<v Speaker 2>to another guy, this guy she grew up with named

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<v Speaker 2>Giuseppe Ruisi, her former fiance. I guess Melodia came back

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<v Speaker 2>in nineteen sixty five, said I want you back, and

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<v Speaker 2>she said, no, I really love this guy. I'm staying

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<v Speaker 2>with him.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. So Melodia kept trying over and over again to

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<v Speaker 1>win her back, and she kept saying no every time,

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<v Speaker 1>so as each time he was becoming angrier and angrier,

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<v Speaker 1>and also he was humiliated every time that she turned

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<v Speaker 1>him down. So he hatched a plan where he would

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<v Speaker 1>kidnap Franca from her home. He and fifteen other men

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<v Speaker 1>did on the day after Christmas in nineteen sixty five,

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<v Speaker 1>and he held her at a farmhouse and he sexually

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<v Speaker 1>assaulted her there over the course of a week, which

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<v Speaker 1>effectively triggered that matrimonial repertory, like it gave her no

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<v Speaker 1>choice at that point. Then after the week she was released,

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<v Speaker 1>and then as part of this custom, initially Melodia and

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<v Speaker 1>his accomplices were arrested, but the choice was up to

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<v Speaker 1>Franca to press charges or to marry the guy. That

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<v Speaker 1>was her choice. And again, up to this point, as

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<v Speaker 1>far as we know, every single woman put in this

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<v Speaker 1>position agreed to marry the person who kidnapped and sexually

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<v Speaker 1>assaulted her.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right. So I feel like that's halfway point. It's

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<v Speaker 2>a good time for a break, and we'll tell you

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<v Speaker 2>what happened right after this, all right. So I actually

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<v Speaker 2>kind of spoiled it earlier when I said that she

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<v Speaker 2>said no, But that's exactly what happened. Franca, very very

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<v Speaker 2>bravely decided to press charges, and like you said, she

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<v Speaker 2>was the first woman in modern times, maybe of all times,

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<v Speaker 2>to say I'm not participating in this. Even though her

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<v Speaker 2>honor was tarnished, her family's reputation was tarnished, They got threats,

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<v Speaker 2>their barn and their vineyard were burned down because remember

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<v Speaker 2>this is a nephew of a mafioso, so some heavy

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<v Speaker 2>things were going down and these guys were arraigned for trial.

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<v Speaker 2>It became an international story in nineteen sixty six. They

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<v Speaker 2>knew he did it, so it wasn't like did you

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<v Speaker 2>do it or not? He basically said no, no, no,

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<v Speaker 2>I was love sick. She loved me too, and it

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<v Speaker 2>was the parents who didn't approve. So this is just

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<v Speaker 2>like a good old fashioned eloping. What was that called,

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<v Speaker 2>It's like a good old fashioned fuitina. And she said this,

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<v Speaker 2>I am the property of no one. No one can

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<v Speaker 2>force me to love a person I do not respect.

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<v Speaker 2>Honor is lost by the one who does certain things,

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<v Speaker 2>not the one who was subjected to the right.

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<v Speaker 1>She also said to him directly from the stand, I

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<v Speaker 1>do not love you. I will not marry you. And

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<v Speaker 1>she was despite she was going against all custom. And again,

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<v Speaker 1>like I think it's worth pointing out, her family stood

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<v Speaker 1>by her and rather than pressuring her to do you

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<v Speaker 1>know what the community and society wanted her to do.

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<v Speaker 1>That was extremely brave of them as well, and in

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<v Speaker 1>return for her bravery and courage she won. Melodia lost

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<v Speaker 1>his case and because rape and kidnapping were still crimes

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<v Speaker 1>in Sicily and Italy, he was sentenced to eleven years

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<v Speaker 1>in prison, ended up serving ten, and seven of his

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen accomplices were received four year sentences each. And I

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<v Speaker 1>guess kind of joyously two years after Filippo Melodia got

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<v Speaker 1>out of prison, so he spent ten years in prison.

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<v Speaker 1>Within two years he'd been gunned down Modina in Italy

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<v Speaker 1>famous for its balsamic vannegar.

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<v Speaker 2>So the media, you know, got a hold this story,

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<v Speaker 2>like I said earlier, and you might think like the

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<v Speaker 2>media talked about like just how awful this was. They

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<v Speaker 2>did in a way, but the media in Italy also

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<v Speaker 2>talked about how pretty she was, and there were on

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<v Speaker 2>TV there were panel discussions where they talked to local

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<v Speaker 2>men about like, hey, like you know, she's good looking,

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<v Speaker 2>would you still marry her? And you know they were

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<v Speaker 2>all like no, I still wouldn't marry her. So the

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<v Speaker 2>media coverage was just very sexist and not fair. But

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<v Speaker 2>she did get married to Giuseppe. They were married December

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen sixty eight. She was twenty by this time, he

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<v Speaker 2>was twenty five years old, and it was a like

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<v Speaker 2>it was a national celebration basically when she got married.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, surprisingly there was a huge happy ending of this

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<v Speaker 1>Giuseppe's another person who deserves credit for standing by her too.

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<v Speaker 1>He was honestly the only chance. He was the only

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<v Speaker 1>man who could step up and restore her honor because

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<v Speaker 1>essentially she they got married under a matrimonial raprare. And yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it was a celebration by the country, so much so

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<v Speaker 1>that Italy's president, and I think Mashable pointed this out,

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<v Speaker 1>Italy's president directly sent them a wedding president of forty dollars,

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<v Speaker 1>which would be over two hundred and fifty dollars today,

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<v Speaker 1>and the transport minister gave them a month of free

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<v Speaker 1>railway rides. So like this woman went rail pass Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>pretty much. I mean a month of it. That's pretty

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<v Speaker 1>good for a newly whit couple, right. Yeah, So they

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<v Speaker 1>she went from scorned and people in the media talking

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<v Speaker 1>about how her life was basically over, she was going

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<v Speaker 1>to be a spinster to being celebrated in Italy by

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<v Speaker 1>the very people who had essentially tried to pressure her

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<v Speaker 1>into submitting to Melodia's advances.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and this was nineteen sixty six when it happened.

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<v Speaker 2>He would think, well, in nineteen sixty seven, they probably

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<v Speaker 2>got rid of this thing, not so it wasn't. It

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<v Speaker 2>took till nineteen eighty one to repeal that law, which

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<v Speaker 2>is staggering. I can't believe it took that long.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, the foutina is still around in the rehabilitation. Marriage

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<v Speaker 1>is still around. But the key is that if you

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<v Speaker 1>rape the woman, you are no longer off the hook

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<v Speaker 1>if she marries you. And yeah, the fact that it

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<v Speaker 1>took more than a decade is a little unnerving, but

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<v Speaker 1>that was one of the things that she did. She

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<v Speaker 1>kind of shined an international spotlight on this really backwards custom,

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<v Speaker 1>and Italy and Sicily were kind of like shrinking a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit in the spotlight because it just made them

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<v Speaker 1>look so bad. So that was one thing she did.

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<v Speaker 1>And also she was credited for inspiring no less than

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<v Speaker 1>four women in the same situation to press charges on

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<v Speaker 1>their abductor and assault her by the time she even

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<v Speaker 1>got the trial. Who knows how many she she inspired

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<v Speaker 1>after that. So she changed this custom that was so

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<v Speaker 1>old you can't even tell when it would have began.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, for sure. If you do think, why haven't I

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<v Speaker 2>seen this movie, well you can. There's a filmmaker named

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<v Speaker 2>Marta Savina who had an award winning short film called Viola,

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<v Speaker 2>and she turned that into a feature film called Prima

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<v Speaker 2>Donna or The Girl from Tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, and in an even happier part of the happy

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<v Speaker 1>ending on International Wednesday. In twenty fourteen, President Giorgio Napolitano

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<v Speaker 1>bestowed on Franca the honor of Grande Officiale del ordinae

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<v Speaker 1>el Marito della Republica Italiana, which means that she was

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<v Speaker 1>essentially knighted for her active bravery. Amazing, amazing, huge hat

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<v Speaker 1>tip to m I had never heard of Franko Viola

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<v Speaker 1>until she mentioned her to me. I think she sent

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<v Speaker 1>me an article a while back, so yeah, I appreciate that.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the whole world does now. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Did she was it from the did she see the

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<v Speaker 2>movie or was it just from something she read.

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<v Speaker 1>I think she ran across something like an article on

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<v Speaker 1>the internet and send it to me, So yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>want to check check out that movie. Let's see what

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<v Speaker 1>that's like. Yeah, and a huge hat tip to Franco

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<v Speaker 1>Viola too for being so brave. That's just what an

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<v Speaker 1>amazing story. Agreed Chucks That agreed short Stuff is out.

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