In Vasto, as early as the early 1800s, the Carbonari were active under the name “Vendita dei Filantropi Istoniesi” (Sale of the Philanthropists of Istonium). Their first headquarters was located in an underground chamber beneath the Portone Panzotto, in the Santa Maria district. Later, in 1811, the headquarters were moved first to the convent of Santo Spirito and then to the convent of San Francesco.
One of the most prominent and active Carbonari in Vasto was Francesco Paolo Ciccarone, who, back in 1799, had already fought under the command of Ettore Carafa in the defense of the Parthenopean Republic. He took part in the battle at the fortress of Pescara against the Sanfedist troops.
By 1820, the leader of the Carbonari in Vasto was Canon Don Romualdo Casilli, who played a key role in an unusual event: the symbolic bestowal of the Grand Master’s Sash of the Carbonari upon San Michele the Archangel. The statue of the saint was carried in a grand procession from the 17th-century chapel dedicated to him—situated on the Tre Segni hill—to the Cathedral of San Giuseppe, before being returned to its original chapel. The procession was accompanied by clergy, the national battalion, and the townspeople.
This event was not entirely surprising, as in the early decades of the 19th century, the Carbonari were tolerated by the ruling regime and, in some cases, even supported by the Church. Even the Bishop of Chieti, Francesco Saverio Bassi, was an affiliate. However, the situation changed dramatically after the Carbonari uprisings were crushed in the Battle of Antrodoco on March 7, 1821—a battle in which a battalion of men from Vasto, led by Baron Luigi Cardone, also participated. Following the repression ordered by King Ferdinand I, more than two thousand Carbonari were sentenced to death. In Vasto, members of the secret society went into hiding, and the Grand Emblem seal of the “Filantropi Istoniesi – Oriente di Vasto” was thrown into the Adriatic Sea, only to resurface in 1926.
Today, the seal is preserved in the Archaeological Museum. It bears the image of a green holly branch, an arm wielding an axe poised to strike down a crown (symbolizing power), a rising sun with a Phrygian cap (representing freedom), along with a hoe and an axe. The inscriptions on the seal reference the Vasto-based chapter of the Philanthropists of Istonium.
In 1842, the secret society Giovine Italia (Young Italy) arrived in Vasto. Founded in 1831 by Giuseppe Mazzini, its mission was to transform Italy into a unified democratic republic. Gaetano Crisci was appointed head of the Vasto section, establishing his home near the Porta di Santa Maria as the brotherhood’s meeting place. From the terrace above the gate, members communicated with fellow revolutionaries in neighboring towns in Molise using fire signals and optical devices. However, in 1845, the patriots were discovered and denounced as conspirators.
Following the death of Baron Luigi Cardone in 1855, the liberals of Vasto rallied around his son-in-law, Silvio Ciccarone—the son of Carbonaro Francesco Paolo Ciccarone and himself a member of Giovine Italia. The Ciccarone residence became a gathering place for patriots from across the province.
In 1860, upon hearing of Garibaldi’s advance, the affiliates set out from there to seize the local sub-prefecture and dismantle the Bourbon insignia. Vasto thus became the first city in Abruzzo to rise in the name of Victor Emmanuel II and Garibaldi. Silvio Ciccarone was appointed “Prodittatore” (acting dictator) in anticipation of the plebiscite that would determine the annexation of the region to the Kingdom of Sardinia and the formation of the Kingdom of Italy.
