Giovan Battista Perasso

Balilla monument in Portoria Square in Genoa

Giovan Battista Perasso (also called Balilla ; * 1735 in Genoa ; † 1781 ibid) was a youthful folk hero of the city of Genoa and later Italy .

During the War of the Austrian Succession there was a popular uprising in Genoa in 1746 against Austrian troops, who had made themselves unpopular, especially in the Portoria district, because of numerous attacks against the civilian population. The Republic of Genoa was allied during the war with Spain and France against Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and was therefore occupied. Giovan Battista Perasso, known as Balilla (probably from Genoese Baciccia , dialect nickname of Giovan Battista , German Johann Baptist), is said to have triggered the uprising on December 5th by throwing stones at the Austrians.

The historically unproven acts of Perasso , who was probably around twelve years old, were glorified as particularly patriotic during the Risorgimento , the Italian national movement in the 19th century, and especially during fascism , making him a kind of national hero , who is also featured in the fourth stanza of the Italian national anthem Fratelli d'Italia is mentioned:

"I bimbi d'Italia si chiaman Balilla"

"The children of Italy are called Balilla"

Mussolini called his fascist youth organization Balilla . Balilla is the name giver for the submarine class Balilla class and the first submarine of this class R.Smg. Balilla .

literature

• Simone Mihm: The Italian Identity in the Current Research Discussion. Grin, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-640-59404-7