Benito Mussolini Life - World of Biography

Birth

Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883, at Varano di Costa, an ancient hamlet of Dovia, in the county of Predappio in northeast Italy. He was born on this earth on Sunday at two o’clock in the afternoon. The village was celebrating the festival of the patron saint of the old church and parish of Caminate.

The Heritage

The ancestors of the Mussolini family had a colorful history. One of them was Giovanni Mussolini, the rebellious leader of

the City of Bologna in the late 13th century.Another one, stayed at London in the 18th century and was a good music composer. As Mussolini wrote in his autobiography, “…perhaps it is from him that I inherit the love of the violin, which even today in my hands gives comfort to moments of relaxation and creates for me moments of release from the realities of my days.” Benito’s grandfather held a reputed position, a lieutenant of the National Guard of Italy. The Mussolinis had left their marks in their city. A street, a tower and a square in Bologna bore the name after Benito’s ancestors.

Benito, a descendent from such a prestigious family, was brought up in a small house surrounded with many other stone houses. He recalled his early years, which he named ‘First Steps of Life’, in his autobiography, “My childhood, now in the mists of distance, still yields those flashes of memory that come back with a familiar scene, an aroma which the nose associates with damp earth after a rain in the springtime, or the sound of footsteps in the corridor. A roll of thunder may bring back the recollection of the stone steps where a little child who seems no longer any part of one’s self used to play in the afternoon.”

Family

Benito’s father Alessandro Mussolini was a blacksmith. He was a strong and a robust man. A staunch socialist, he held daily meetings with his other socialist friends. Alessandro was a part-time socialist journalist, and would spend much of his time discussing politics. Benito’s mother, Rosa Mussolini was a primary school teacher. Owing to circumstances, the family lived room hand to mouth in two

congested rooms on the second floor of a ramshackle palazzo. His father had a mistress and he spent most of his income on her.

Benito was the youngest amongst three siblings. They hardly had anything to eat daily. Alessandro worked as a blacksmith only when he felt the need. Rosa’s income was the main source, most of the time, to run the home. Rosa was theist, a devout Catholic, and the child Benito used to go to a local church every Sunday with his mother. His father, an agnostic, was at home with his socialist circle.

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