Figure 1.-- The dress uniform was black shoes with laces. Most photographs of Ballilla groups show the boys wearing a wide range of different footwear. High-top shoes were very common. We also see some boys wearing low-cut shoes, strap shoes, and sandals.

The dress uniform was black shoes with laces. Most photographs of Ballilla groups show the boys wearing a wide range of different footwear. High-top shoes were very common. We also see some boys wearing low-cut shoes, strap shoes, and sandals. Some photographs show boys barefoot. An Italian reader tells us, "An old man told me something about his experience as Ballilla when he was a child. We lived near Fiume (today Rijeka in Croatia). He recalls that the uniform was provided by the organization (Opera Nazionale Balilla): all uniform garments, but the shoes. This was a problem for some families that couldn't provide suitable footwear. This can be the reason why Balillas wore many different sort of footwear." A reader writes, "Interesting that the boys all wore long stockings but of different colors--black, beige, and a few in brown stockings. Is there a date for this photoÉ I would guess late 1930s?." The photograph is not dated, but we would gues the late-1930s. The fact that all the children in front wear long stockings is interesting. I think they were probably told to do so, but the color was not specified. It does not appear to be a particulrly cold day. We would guess they are wearing long stockings becuse of the formality of the portrait. Note how smartly they are dressed.