Piersanti Mattarella
Italian politician (1935–1980)
Why this is trending
Interest in “Piersanti Mattarella” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-25.
Categorised under Politics & Government, this article fits a familiar pattern. Political articles spike during elections, policy announcements, diplomatic events, or when political figures make international headlines.
At GlyphSignal we surface these trending signals every day—transforming Wikipedia’s vast pageview data into actionable insights about global curiosity.
Key Takeaways
- Piersanti Mattarella ( Italian pronunciation: [ˌpjɛrˈsanti mattaˈrɛlla] ; 24 May 1935 – 6 January 1980) was an Italian politician who was assassinated by the Mafia while he held the position of President of the Regional Government of Sicily.
- Background and early career Mattarella was born in Castellammare del Golfo, in the province of Trapani, Sicily.
- The power network his father had created benefited his initial political career.
- In 1960 he became a national leader of Azione Cattolica , and subsequently became an important regional member of DC.
- In 1967 he became deputy to the Regional Parliament of Sicily, a position he held until 1978, when he was elected President of Sicily.
Piersanti Mattarella (Italian pronunciation: [ˌpjɛrˈsanti mattaˈrɛlla]; 24 May 1935 – 6 January 1980) was an Italian politician who was assassinated by the Mafia while he held the position of President of the Regional Government of Sicily. A member of the Christian Democracy, he was the older brother of Sergio Mattarella, who has been president of Italy since 2015.
Background and early career
Mattarella was born in Castellammare del Golfo, in the province of Trapani, Sicily. He was the son of Bernardo Mattarella, a member of Christian Democracy (DC), and a leading political boss in Sicily in the 1950s. The power network his father had created benefited his initial political career.
He received a Catholic-oriented education by the Jesuits. In 1960 he became a national leader of Azione Cattolica, and subsequently became an important regional member of DC. Inspired by the politics of Giorgio La Pira, he adhered to the more progressive approach of national leader Aldo Moro. In 1967 he became deputy to the Regional Parliament of Sicily, a position he held until 1978, when he was elected President of Sicily.
In 1958 he returned to Sicily and married Irma Chiazzese, with whom he had two children, Maria and Bernardo. In 1966, his brother Sergio married her sister Marisa, with whom he has three children, including Laura, who has been in role as First Lady of Italy since Sergio's election as president in 2015; Marisa was died in 2012.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
