Albino Volpi

Albino Volpi (Lodi, 21 September 1889 – 7 August 1939), was an Italian criminal, soldier, paramilitary leader, and political figure of Squadrism and Fascism in Italy. As a member of the Sansepolcrismo, Volpi was one of the founding members of the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, the predecessor of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party.

Early life and military career Volpi was born in Lodi, Lombardy on 21 September 1889, before joining the military Volpi worked as a carpenter and had an arrest record for theft. During World War I Volpi volunteered for service in the Caimani del Piave (Caimans of the Piave) following the Battle of Caporetto which later formed the backbone of the 1st San Marco Regiment of the Italian Navy.

Squadrismo movement and politics

Following his military service, Volpi was heavily involved in the Squadrismo movement, specifically the National Federation of Italian Arditi (Federazione Nazionale degli Arditi d'Italia) or FNAI following the First World War.

On 15 April 1919 Volpi was involved in a coordinated attack on the Lombardy Avanti! newspaper headquarters.

As a founding member of the Sansepolcrismo Volpi was an early supporter of Benito Mussolini and was later a founding member of the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, later the National Fascist Party. Matteotti was kidnapped on 10 June 1924 in Rome by Volpi, Amerigo Dumini, Giuseppe Viola, Augusto Malacria, Ameleto Poveromo, and other members of Mussolini's political secret police and taken to the outskirts of Rome where he was killed and hastily buried in an unmarked grave. Dumini and Volpi were both chosen by Mussolini due to their longstanding loyalty. The assassination of Matteotti according to Canali marks the end of Mussolini's so-called "legalistic" period of governance. Following Matteotti's assassination, Mussolini's power as the Prime Minister of Italy combined with his role as Duce of Italy became solidified into a dictatorship which would last until July 25, 1943, when Mussolini was officially dismissed from his position as Prime Minister by Victor Emmanuel III.

In popular culture Volpi is depicted by Italian actor Federico Mainardi in Joe Wright's biographical historical drama series Mussolini: Son of the Century (2025).