Francisco Bolognesi Cervantes was a Peruvian military colonel. He is considered a national hero in Peru and was declared patron of the Army of Peru by the government of Peru on January 2 of 1951.

Italian Peruvians are Peruvian-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Peru during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Peru. Among European Peruvians, Italians were the second largest group of immigrants to settle in the country. Italian immigration in Peru began in the colonial era, during the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru.