Coppola cap

An elderly Sicilian farmer wearing the coppola.

The coppola (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkɔppola]) is a traditional kind of flat cap typically worn in Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia (where it is known as bonette in Sardinian, likely from the French bonnet) and the French island of Corsica. First used by English nobles during the late 18th century, the coppola began being used in Sicily and Calabria in the early 20th century as a driving cap, usually worn when at the wheel driving the car. The coppola is usually made in tweed.

The origin of the name coppola is likely to be a Sicilian, Calabrian or Apulian adaptation of the English word cap, itself coming from the Latin word caput ("head"). By extension, còppula is also Sicilian for "head". The word then became popular also in the rest of Italy, and was quickly acquired by Italian language by extension. Today, the coppola is widely regarded, at least in Italy, as a definitive symbol of Sicilian or Calabrian heritage.