Under fascism Italy experienced one of the darkest moments in its LGBT+ history. Hundreds of homosexuals (almost exclusively men) were arrested, put on a register by the Ministry of the Interior, and sent to internment camps.
This is the story of the ‘arrusi’. Forty-five gay men from Catania, arrested in 1939 and sentenced to 5 years confinement on Puglia’s beautiful Tremiti islands, unwittingly creating Italy’s first openly gay community.
It wasn’t paradise, it was a paradox
“The paradox of San Domino lies wholly in this: it was an isolated island, but it was their island; it was a prison, but it was also freedom.”
When the time came to leave the Tremiti, some broke down in tears
Suddenly and without warning on May 28, 1940 the police chief, with Mussolini’s approval, commuted the sentence of the arrusi and the other prisoners on San Domino to two years on caution. The act was not dictated by compassion, but of practical necessity. With Italy’s declaration of war against France and Great Britain imminent political opposition was becoming louder. The buildings were needed to house dangerous “political” prisoners.
“Almost all those arrested leave the island on 7 June 1940. Many other homosexuals confined under fascism had already served their full sentence. The arrusi of Catania were very lucky. But really, what state of mind were they in? The problem is intriguing because we have two opposing versions. On the one hand, as we know, Mario Magri: “When war broke out they were all pardoned and left praising the head of government…” On the other, Peppinella: “After all… it was better there than here: in my day if you were a fairy you couldn’t even leave the house: you couldn’t risk drawing attention to yourself otherwise the police would arrest you… There were some fairies who broke down in tears when we left the Tremiti!”
“The paradox of San Domino lies wholly in this: it was an isolated island, but it was their island; it was a prison, but it was also freedom. The homosexuals were resigned, Aldo explains (and Lucia and Salvatore also use the same adjective): they knew that the punishment they had to undergo was unjust, but that was fascism. They pass the time as best they can: they ask for permission to correspond with relatives (granted) and friends (denied), and write numerous pleas and appeals to leave.
But some, as Peppinella recounts, broke down in tears when they had to leave: “After all… it was better there [on San Domino in confinement] than here: in my day if you were a fairy you couldn’t even go out of the house: you couldn’t draw attention, otherwise the police would arrest you – on the island, however, the horse had already bolted. Not that any of them ever tried, after liberation, to invent another San Domino. “
— La città e l’isola: Omosessuali al confino nell’Italia fascista by Gianfranco Goretti, Tommaso Giartosio
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