Paolo Chiericotti

Paolo Chiericotti or Paul Chiericotti, (1858-1920), was an Italian shoemaker, poultry seller, and illegalist anarchist. He is known for his possible involvement in the Berthe and Terminus bombings, his actions during the rise of illegalism, of which he was a notable figure, and his condemnation at the Trial of the Thirty.

Born in Milan, he moved to France, where he married Annette Soubrier, and became involved in French anarchist circles. Following the Berthe bombing, a bomb attack targeting one of his former landlords with whom he had disputes, Chiericotti was arrested but later released due to lack of evidence. He then integrated into the emerging illegalist circles, associating with Vittorio Pini, one of its main founders, and subsequently joining the Ortiz gang through his contact with Léon Ortiz.

Arrested in early 1894, he was prosecuted during the Trial of the Thirty, a political trial targeting the anarchist movement, and was one of the few defendants to be convicted. He was then deported to a penal colony where he served his eight-year sentence until 1900. He died in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1920.