While many viewers first heard the song on Netflix, its roots stretch back over a century. Historians trace "Bella Ciao" to two distinct eras of Italian resistance:
In the show, the Professor reveals that his grandfather was an Italian partisan who taught him the song. This lineage justifies why the crew adopts it as their anthem—it positions their heist not as a mere bank robbery, but as an act of resistance against a corrupt financial system . Bella Ciao La Casa De Papel
During World War II, the lyrics were adapted by the Italian partisans who fought against Nazi German occupiers and the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. This "partisan version" is what we hear in the show, featuring lyrics about a fighter bidding farewell to his loved one ("Goodbye, beautiful") before sacrificing his life for liberty. Why La Casa de Papel Chose "Bella Ciao" While many viewers first heard the song on
The Anthem of Resistance: A Deep Dive into "Bella Ciao" in La Casa de Papel During World War II, the lyrics were adapted
The song appears at pivotal moments to signal shifts in the crew's morale or fate: The Many Lives and Meanings of “Bella Ciao”