''Balilla'' was the nickname of Giovanni Battista Perasso (1735–1781), a

Genoese Genoese may refer to: * a person from Genoa * Genoese dialect, a dialect of the Ligurian language * Republic of Genoa (–1805), a former state in Liguria See also * Genovese, a surname * Genovesi, a surname * * * * * Genova (disambiguati ...

boy who started the revolt of 1746 against the Habsburg forces that occupied the city in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George' ...

by throwing a stone at an Austrian official.

Story and legacy

The word ''Balilla'' is thought to mean ''little boy'' and is thus one of only two clues about Perasso's age (the other being an Austrian report that makes reference to "a little boy" throwing stones at officials). Legend asserts that while some Austrian soldiers were dragging an artillery piece along a muddy road in the Portoria neighbourhood of Genoa, the piece got stuck in a moat. The soldiers forced onlookers and passers-by to dislodge it, cursing and lashing them. Disgusted by the scene, Perasso allegedly grabbed a stone from the road and skilfully threw it at the Austrian patrol, asking his fellow citizens in the

Genoese dialect Genoese, locally called or , is the main Ligurian dialect, spoken in and around the Italian city of Genoa, the capital of Liguria, in Northern Italy. A majority of remaining speakers of Genoese are elderly. Several associations are dedicated ...

: "''Che l'inse?''" ("Am I to begin?" or "Shall I start?"), which set in motion an uproar which eventually caused the Austrian garrison to be evicted from the city. The phrase became proverbial in Italian as well. For his supposed age and revolutionary activity, Perasso became a symbol of the struggle of the Italian people for independence and unification. Conversely, accounts of the sack of Genoa by Royal Piedmontese troops in 1849 mention soldiers running through the streets and shouting, "Genoese people are all ''Balilla'', they do not deserve compassion, we must kill them all!" Later on, Italy's Fascist Government named the Opera Nazionale Balilla (ONB), a school-grade scouting-paramilitary

youth organization The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise. 0 ...

, after him. Accordingly, the anthem of the ONB began with the verse "Fischia il sasso/ ... " (The stone whistles/ ...) Several types of the Fiat 508 car, produced during the 1930s, were also named for Balilla (Fiat 508 Balilla, Fiat 508S Balilla Coppa d'Oro, Fiat 508 Balilla Sport, Fiat 508 Balilla Spider Militare). An Italian fighter plane, designed in 1917, Ansaldo A.1 was named Balilla. He is also mentioned in the Italian

National anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europe ...

, "

Il Canto degli Italiani "" (; "The Song of the Italians") is a canto written by Goffredo Mameli set to music by Michele Novaro in 1847, and is the current national anthem of Italy. It is best known among Italians as the "" (, "Mameli's Hymn"), after the author o ...

", composed in 1847 and popularly known as "Fratelli d'Italia" (''Brothers of Italy''): "''I bimbi d'Italia / si chiaman Balilla / il suon d'ogni squilla / i Vespri suonò''". The second reference is to the 1282 insurrection called the " Vespri Siciliani".

Italian Navy submarines

Two Italian navy submarines were named ''Balilla'': *The former German U42 which was building at the

FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

yard in La Spezia when Italy entered World War I. It was sunk in 1916. *The nameship of the ''Balilla'' class submarines, laid up in 1941 and scrapped after World War II.

References

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balilla 1746 in Italy 1746 in military history Child soldiers 18th-century Genoese people Artillery of Austria-Hungary Italian people of the War of the Austrian Succession