The Sicilian term (literally: "sudden escape"; plural ''fuitini'', Italian plural ''fuitine'') refers to a practice that used to be common in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and other areas of

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

, whereby a young couple would

elope Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...

in order to get married against the wishes of their families. The intent is that the prolonged absence of the fugitive couple would let their families presume that

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...

had occurred and thus force them to consent to a so-called "rehabilitating

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

" ( it, matrimonio riparatore). Such elopements still occur today, but the practice is becoming less common because of changing social and cultural conditions. While elopements of young couples are reported to be widespread in places such as

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

(over 300 have been reported to occur each year), most of them only bear a surface relationship with traditional fuitine, as they are not necessarily aimed at a rehabilitating marriage. In principle, the term ''fuitina'' refers only to the consensual elopement of a couple, but the practice also lends itself to be appealed to in order to camouflage actual

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

, and possibly

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, of the bride-to-be. A prominent example is the 1966 trial for rape where the lawyer of the kidnapper and rapist of

Franca Viola Franca Viola (born 9 January 1948) is an Italian woman who became famous in the 1960s in Italy for refusing a "rehabilitating marriage" ( it, matrimonio riparatore) to her rapist after being kidnapped, held hostage for over one week, and raped fr ...

maintained that the woman had actually consented to a ''fuitina''. The trial had a wide resonance in Italy, as Franca Viola refused the "rehabilitating" marriage. The trial contributed to spread the awareness that because of the existing social ties (and specifically, the widespread notion that a woman who lost her

virginity Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

was not "worthy" to be married), women who suffered rape were often pressed to marry their rapists (especially, but not exclusively, if they got

pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...

), or they would lose their

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...

and be marginalized by the society. The aftermath of her trial ruled that rapists were no longer able to avoid punishment through the marriage of their victims. In 1981, Italy repealed Article 544. The

Italian Criminal Code Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

(art. 573) prosecutes (consensual) ''fuitina'' if the bride-to-be is a

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

, equating it to the kidnapping of a consenting minor.

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Fuitina'' Italian traditions Culture of Sicily Weddings by culture