Ricchiardi, Enrico Le eleganti uniformi degli ufficiali del Regio Esercito Italiano 1863-1864

17 March 1861: The Kingdom of Italy is created. Victor Emmanuel II becomes King of Italy, although the peninsula is not yet fully united (Lazio and Venice are missing). A historic achievement made possible by Garibaldi's deeds. A few months later, on 4 May 1861, the Minister of War Manfredo Fanti announced in an official note: From now on, the Regio Esercito will be called Esercito Italiano. This was a decisive step that crowned a process that had begun in 1859 with the integration of troops from Lombardy, Tuscany, Emilia and later from the southern centre. The result was a unified army with soldiers of different origins and traditions and the challenge of creating a well-equipped, trained and uniformed force. 1863-1864: The great reorganisation of the uniforms: Alessandro Della Rovere, Minister of War, wanted to modernise the officers' uniforms. The project was completed by his successor Agostino Petitti, who published detailed regulations with 65 lithographed plates in December 1864, a veritable bible for tailors and craftsmen. In this volume, the missing plate and the complete text of the regulations are presented for the first time. And to immerse you in the style of the time, it includes rare colour illustrations by Luigi Crosio and the curious vignettes by Draner (Jules Renard) showing Italian officers in elegant, gallant poses. A journey through history, between military rigour and the charm of the 19th century.