During restoration work on the facade of the Liceo Classico "Mariano Buratti" in Viterbo, in via Tommaso Carletti, an inscription dating back to the Fascist era re-emerged: the words "Casa del Balilla" or "Opera Balilla." The discovery has sparked a lively debate in the city over whether to preserve or remove the inscription.

The building has a complex history. Originally built as the headquarters of the Opera Nazionale Balilla and later the GIL (Gioventù Italiana del Littorio), after the war the school was renamed: it dropped the name "Umberto I" and was dedicated to Mariano Buratti, born in Bassano Romano in 1902, a teacher and officer of the Guardia di Finanza. After the September 8, 1943 armistice, Buratti founded the "banda Buratti" on the Monti Cimini, a partisan group composed of former soldiers and his own students. Arrested by Nazi-fascist forces and detained at Regina Coeli, he was executed at Forte Bravetta and posthumously awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valor.

The restoration work, funded by PNRR resources, was commissioned by the Province of Viterbo and overseen by the Superintendence. According to reports, the Superintendent for Southern Etruria, Margherita Eichberg, indicated that the decision on how to handle the inscription falls within the Province's competence. The president of the Province reportedly stated that the inscription would be made less visible rather than fully removed.

The reappearance of the Fascist-era inscription triggered a strong reaction in the city. A sit-in of protest took place in front of the school, attended by hundreds of citizens and institutional figures. Among the participants was Paolo Bianchini, Buratti's grandson, who chained himself to the school gates, stating that the inscription amounts to a declaration of war and that he would remain there until it is removed. Former history and philosophy teacher Aurelio Rizzacasa called for immediate removal, while Carlo Galeotti, editor of the local news outlet Tusciaweb, publicly called for the Superintendent's resignation.

The debate remains open between those who argue the inscription should be removed as a symbol incompatible with the school's identity and those who see it as a historical trace that could be contextualized.