Commemorazione del Carabiniere Scapaccino
Each February, on the anniversary of his birth, Incisa lays a wreath for Giovanni Battista Scapaccino — the local man who became the first Carabiniere awarded Italy's Gold Medal for Military Valour.
Why it's special
Scapaccino, born here in 1802, was killed in Savoy in 1834 rather than break his oath, and the Arma dei Carabinieri still comes back to his home town to honour him.
Programme · 2025
223rd anniversary of Scapaccino's birth. A blessed wreath laid at the monument by the Carabinieri chaplain and the rector of the Santuario Virgo Fidelis, with the provincial Carabinieri commander, the mayor and Scapaccino's great-grandson Marcello Rota.
- It's a formal ceremony at the Scapaccino monument, with the Carabinieri, the mayor and the family's descendants.
- Check the Comune for the exact time.
The town carries his name for a reason. Giovanni Battista Scapaccino was born here on 15 February 1802 and became the first member of the Arma dei Carabinieri — and the first Italian soldier of any corps — to be awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valour. In 1834, during the fighting at Les Échelles in Savoy, he chose death rather than shout a slogan against his oath.
So each February Incisa Scapaccino marks the anniversary of his birth. It's a solemn, formal affair rather than a festival: a blessed wreath at his monument, the provincial Carabinieri commander, the mayor, the parish, and Scapaccino's own descendants. In 2025 it was the 223rd anniversary.
Not a tourist event, but if you're in town in mid-February it tells you who these hills raised. Details from the last recorded ceremony are above.