The Bersaglieri, from King Carlo Alberto to the Present Day

The Bersaglieri are a specialty of the infantry arm of the Italian Army, so called because they were originally formed by soldiers trained in shooting with rifled precision rifles. Every June 18th, the anniversary of their establishment, which took place in 1836, is celebrated. It was called "Corpo" from its foundation until 1861. The reference weapon association is the Associazione nazionale bersaglieri. The feathered hat, known as moretto da bersagliere or vaira after the name of the first person who wore it, is the symbol of the specialty.

In the Kingdom of Sardinia

The Corpo dei bersaglieri was established, with royal patent on June 18, 1836, by the King of Sardinia Carlo Alberto di Savoia on the proposal of then-captain of the Reggimento guardie Alessandro La Marmora.

The task assigned to the new specialty included the typical functions of light infantry - exploration, first contact with the enemy, and flanking of the line infantry (without, however, deploying and mingling with the latter) - but it was characterized, as intended by its founder, by an unprecedented speed of execution of the assigned tasks and a versatility of employment that made its members, although on foot, not only hunters but also guides and pioneers ante litteram.

Endowed with wide operational autonomy, the corps was formed by men trained in running and shooting with modern-conception weapons ready to act, even alone, to surprise the adversary in harassment actions with the precise intent of disrupting their plans, organized in small groups deployed in square formation, however, the bersaglieri could also be employed against cavalry to break their charge.

The first four companies that would later merge into the I battalion were formed, respectively, in July 1836 (the 1st), in January 1837 (the 2nd), in January 1840 (the 3rd), and in February 1843 (the 4th).

They received their baptism of fire on April 8, 1848, in the battle of the bridge of Goito during the first Italian war of independence.

A second battalion was formed on April 23, 1848, and three more on December 30, 1848, on March 10, 1849, two bersaglieri battalions of the Lombard division were added to them. In April 1849, the troops commanded by Alfonso La Marmora intervened to quell the riots in the city of Genoa. Over the years, the number of battalions increased: 10 in 1852, 16 in 1859. In 1856, the position of "inspector of the Bersaglieri corps" was created, with the attributions of brigade commanders. In 1854, they were engaged in the Crimean War, the first "foreign mission" of Italian troops where Alessandro La Marmora himself died.

In the Kingdom of Italy

With the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy and the transformation of the Sardinian Army into the Royal Army, profound changes occurred. With the Royal decree January 13, 1861, they were increased to 36 active battalions and 6 depot battalions, created by grouping the depot companies. Each battalion had 4 companies, which were numbered progressively by battalion (from 1 to 4) and no longer for the entire corps: thus, even officially, the tactical unit was no longer the company, but the battalion. As a result of the new ordinance, the denomination "Corpo dei bersaglieri" was shortened to "Bersaglieri" and the general command of the corps was abolished. The 36 active battalions were grouped into 6 "Bersaglieri corps of army commands" each with 6 battalions, constituting administrative units, which assumed the name of "regiment" at the end of the same year.

The regiments were assigned to the army corps, and the battalions were assigned to the Divisions as reconnaissance units.

• 1st Bersaglieri Regiment constituted by battalions I, IX, XIII, XIX, XXI, and XXVII, assigned to the I Army Corps
• 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment constituted by battalions II, IV, X, XV, XVII, and XVIII, assigned to the II Army Corps
• 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment constituted by battalions III, V, VIII, XX, XXIII, and XXV, assigned to the III Army Corps
• 4th Bersaglieri Regiment constituted by battalions VI, VII, XI, XII, XXXV, and XXXVI, assigned to the IV Army Corps
• 5th Bersaglieri Regiment constituted by battalions XIV, XVI, XXII, XXIV, XXVI, and XXXIV, assigned to the V Army Corps
• 6th Bersaglieri Regiment constituted by battalions XXVIII, XXIX, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, and XXXIII, assigned to the VI Army Corps

In 1862, the bersaglieri battalions were increased to 40 (8 for each regiment) and in 1866 to 50 (of which the last 10 were assigned to the general reserve), before returning to 45 battalions (9 for each regiment) at the end of the Third War of Independence.

The Bersaglieri were employed, after Italian unification, also to combat brigandage in the south. On this occasion, they proved to be a particularly suitable corps, especially for the ruggedness of the territory where they were deployed. There were brutal episodes that characterized some of these pacification operations on both sides, similar in the type of troops used and in the methods implemented, as well as in the brutal episodes, to those previously conducted in the same area and until a few months earlier by the numerous and excellent Cacciatori Battalions of the Bourbon Army of the Two Sicilies.

Protagonists of the capture of Rome on September 20, 1870, the battalions lost their operational autonomy and individual numbering from January 1, 1871, assuming a progressive numbering within each of the regiments, initially increased to ten with four battalions each (1871) and then to twelve, with three battalions each (1883) following the increase of the Corps of the Royal Army.

Only in 1886, for the fiftieth anniversary of the specialty's foundation, did the battalions regain their individual numbering. In the same year, the Bersaglieri d'Africa Regiment was briefly constituted with three formation battalions and one of volunteers, for the needs of operations in the Eritrean Colony. Two battalions were completely destroyed in the Battle of Adwa. In 1887, the position of inspector of the Bersaglieri was reinstated, only to be suppressed again at the end of 1894.

Another formation battalion was temporarily activated in 1905 for the expedition to China. With the 1910 ordinance, a cyclist battalion was formed in each regiment. Three Bersaglieri regiments participated in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912: the 11th in Tripoli, the 8th in Homs, and the 4th in Benghazi and then in Rhodes. The 11th earned the gold medal for military valor.

In World War I

During World War I (1915-1918), the corps was organized into two special divisions, 7 brigades with 21 regiments and 5 autonomous battalions, in addition to four Bersaglieri cyclist battalion groups and three Assault Units, reaching maximum strength.

On November 3, 1918, the II Brigade, composed of the 7th and 11th Bersaglieri Regiment, left early in the morning from Venice for Trieste on the destroyer Audace. At 3:30 PM, the Bersaglieri landed at Molo San Carlo (now Molo Audace) and reached the Colle di San Giusto, where they hoisted the first Tricolor on the bell tower of the cathedral of the same name, donated by the women of Trieste.

In the post-war period

All the new units formed during the Great War were dissolved in 1919 (in reality, the order, due to a clerical error, provided for the dissolution of all Bersaglieri regiments without distinction, but it was obviously applied only to regiments from the 13th to the 21st), the 1923 ordinance restored the Bersaglieri regiments to 12, of which 6 were transformed into cyclists, and perfected in 1924 with all 12 Bersaglieri regiments transformed into cyclists. The organization changed in 1936. In 1935-36, some Bersaglieri regiments participated in the Ethiopian War.

Bersaglieri units participated in the 1939 occupation of Albania, whose operations lasted a few days and, except for some skirmishes, there were no major battles. The expeditionary force was composed of two echelons; the first included 12 Bersaglieri battalions, 9 cyclists, 1 motorcyclist, 1 motorized, and 1 mixed. The Bersaglieri units that participated in the occupation of Albania were organized as follows:

• Durazzo Column: command of the 2nd regiment;
• San Giovanni di Medua Column: command of the 9th regiment;
• Valona Column: command of the 1st regiment;
• Santi Quaranta Column: command of the 12th regiment.

In three days, all objectives were achieved; the last was the city of Fieri, which was occupied at 6 PM on April 8.

In World War II

During World War II, the Bersaglieri regiments were framed in armored, motorized, and fast divisions, and fought on all fronts. From the end of 1940 to 1942, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Regiment distinguished themselves on the Greek-Albanian front, while the 11th in Yugoslavia.

The 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th regiment from 1941 distinguished themselves on the African front, under the command of the German General Rommel. Thanks to their skirmish intervention in 1942, they managed to achieve a strategic retreat in clear numerical inferiority during the second battle of El Alamein, against the English troops, limiting losses, and fought until May 1943 in Tunisia.

On June 22, 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the attack on the Soviet Union. The Royal Army sent the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (C.S.I.R.) on July 10, 1941, composed of 3 fast divisions: Pasubio, Torino, and Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta. The 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment was incorporated into the latter division. In various actions, the units were moved under the command of different units.

By the end of 1941, the regiment had lost half of its personnel, so a new one was sent, the 6th Regiment, returning from Yugoslavia. It consisted of 3 battalions, the VI, XIII, and XIX, the 106th motorcycle company, the 272nd cannons, and the XIV auto group. The 17th motorcyclists and the 72nd cannons, which belonged to the 6th, were in North Africa, while the 2nd motorcyclists and the 172nd cannons were already in Russia with the 3rd regiment.

From Italy, to reinforce the 3rd, the 103rd complementary battalion bis arrived with 600 men. In the summer of 1942, a new battalion arrived, the LXVII armored Bersaglieri unit on L6-40 tanks. With 3 motorcycle companies, the 106th/6th, the 2nd/6th, and the 3rd/3rd, the XLVII motorcycle battalion was formed. On July 9, the C.S.I.R. became the XXXV Army Corps framed in the 8th Italian Army. Towards the end of December 1942, the 3rd regiment was practically destroyed in combat. The 6th, due to heavy losses, was reconstituted: command, VI and XIX battalion (with some survivors of the 3rd) and other minor units. Some survivors from the destruction of the 3rd regiment were gathered on March 14 at the fast command in Sytnikovo to form a provisional nucleus of the 3rd regiment commanded by a captain who brought them back to Italy at the end of March 1943.

In the War of Liberation

The contribution of the corps continued during the Italian War of Liberation, with the units integrated into the Italian Co-belligerent Army and the Italian Liberation Corps. In particular:

• 4th Bersaglieri Regiment
  • XXI Battalion
  • XXXIII Battalion
  • 1st Motorcycle Company
• LI Bersaglieri Instruction Battalion
• 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment,
  • XXIX Battalion
• Bersaglieri Battalion "Goito"

The events of the Bersaglieri of the Kingdom of Italy after September 8, 1943 must be divided into three parts. The first begins with the creation of the 1st motorized grouping on September 28, 1943. In this unit, consisting of 5,000 men, the LI Bersaglieri Instruction Battalion for officer cadets was framed, and the motorized grouping took part in the Battle of Montelungo. In January 1944, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment was reconstituted with: command company, XXIX battalion with 3 rifle companies, 1 support and 1 command, XXXIII battalion of the same strength as the other. The second period is that of the Italian Liberation Corps (C.I.L.) which from April 18, 1944 replaced the motorized grouping. The 4th regiment was expanded (August) with the addition of the 1st motorcycle company. The third period begins on September 24 with the creation of combat groups that operated until May 8, 1945. The 4th regiment was disbanded and the Goito battalion was formed, framed in the Legnano. The battalion was composed of a command company, 5th, 6th, and 7th Bersaglieri companies, and the 8th support weapons company. Shortly before the end, in Brescia, it changed again to the LI battalion based in Milan. In addition to these units, there was also the 447th Bersaglieri Battalion which also absorbed colleagues from the DLVIII battalion stationed in Calabria, but which did not fight any battles.

In the Italian Regency of Carnaro

Between September 1919 and December 1920, several Bersaglieri units joined the volunteers led by Gabriele D'Annunzio and took part in the Fiume Enterprise framed in the Bersaglieri Battalion Group (later Bersaglieri Regiment of Fiume d'Italia, then Bersaglieri Legion of Fiume), becoming the most numerous and homogeneous element of the armed forces of the self-proclaimed Italian Regency of Carnaro. The over 2,500 Bersaglieri deserters (VIII cyclist battalion, XXXVII and XLIII battalion of the 4th Regiment, XLVI battalion of the 5th Regiment, and elements of the 11th Regiment) were later amnestied and readmitted into the ranks of the Royal Army.

In the Italian Social Republic

After the Armistice of September 8, 1943, numerous Bersaglieri units were formed within the Armed Forces of the Italian Social Republic, both with conscripted and volunteer personnel. The units were:

• 1st Bersaglieri Division "Italia", consisting of:
  • 1st Bersaglieri Regiment (with I, II, and III battalion)
  • 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment (with I, II, and III battalion)
  • Divisional Reconnaissance Group
  • Divisional Anti-Tank Company
  • CIV Complement Battalion
• Divisional Reconnaissance Group of the 2nd Grenadier Division "Littorio"
• Divisional Reconnaissance Group of the 4th Alpine Division "Monterosa"
• 3rd Volunteer Bersaglieri Regiment, consisting of:
  • XVIII Bersaglieri Battalion (later IV Coastal Defense Battalion)
  • XX Bersaglieri Battalion (later I Coastal Defense Battalion)
  • XXV Bersaglieri Battalion (later II Coastal Defense Battalion)
  • LI Bersaglieri Battalion (later III Coastal Defense Battalion)
• 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (later Volunteer Bersaglieri Regiment "Luciano Manara") consisting of:
  • I Bersaglieri Battalion "Benito Mussolini"
  • II Bersaglieri Battalion "Goffredo Mameli"
  • III Bersaglieri Battalion "Enrico Toti"
• I Bersaglieri Arditi Battalion of the Anti-Partisan Group
• III Bersaglieri Battalion of the Volunteer Regiment "Tagliamento"
• XXVI Volunteer Bersaglieri Battalion
• Bersaglieri Battalion "Fulmine" of the Xª Marine Infantry Division

Regarding the units that fought in the ranks of the Italian Social Republic, the first unit to be formed was the 3rd Volunteer Regiment, established in Milan on September 27, 1943, with personnel from the old 3rd regiment. In a few days, the command, the regimental command unit, and battalions XVIII, XX, XXV, and LI were created. The battalions were composed of a command company and four bersaglieri companies. The XX battalion had two cyclist companies and served as an officer cadet battalion. At the beginning of 1944, the regiment was supposed to become the 1st regiment, but then the command was moved to Germany to join the Bersaglieri Division Italia. The battalions forming the regiment became autonomous, changing their numbering and leaving the old one as a reference. The new units were: I (LI), II (XX), III (XXV), and IV (XVIII).

From August 2, they were under the command of the Italian Liguria Army. The 8th Bersaglieri Regiment, later named Manara, was established on September 11, 1943 in Verona. The first unit to form and reach the front was the 1st Bersaglieri Battalion Mussolini, which fought from the end of October 1943 until April 30, 1945, on the eastern frontier; it was composed of: command, command company, 1st sapper company, 2nd and 3rd machine gun companies, 4th mortar company. The operational area was the Boccia Valley, the Isonzo Valley from Caporetto to Monfalcone, Tolmino, Piedicolle, and Capivano. This unit suffered severe losses. On April 28, 1945, it was ordered to regroup at Santa Lucia and from there move together with the 3rd battalion towards Cividale.

During the retreat, the units were attacked and practically destroyed. The few survivors were deported to the Borovnica concentration camp near Ljubljana, where they suffered the worst abuses. Only a very few managed to escape that true hell in 1946. Other units included the 2nd Mameli Battalion, which operated on the Adriatic front, in Garfagnana, and surrendered in the Parma area. The 3rd Toti Battalion was formed on May 20, 1944. The Bersaglieri Division Italia was established in Heuberg, Germany, with volunteers from concentration camps (a total of 14,000 men). It was stationed south of Parma, fought in Garfagnana, and dissolved on April 28 in Val di Taro. Lastly, we mention the Bersaglieri Battalion Fulmine, part of the X MAS, later the Tenth Division. The unit fought on the eastern front, was surrounded at Tarnova della Selva, in Slavic territory, and was liberated thanks to the action of another unit of the Tenth, the 1st company of the Alpine Sapper Battalion Valanga. Here too, as with the Mussolini, there were many losses, and the prisoners were treated inhumanely.

At least two bersaglieri were awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valor of the Italian Social Republic:

• Capt. Cesare ("Rino") Cozzarini, Volunteer Bersaglieri Battalion "M" (Mignano Montelungo, November 10, 1943)
• Sgt. Stefano Rizzardi, I Volunteer Bersaglieri Battalion "Benito Mussolini" (Lom di Canale, October 25, 1943)

In the Italian Republic

Already in 1946, the reconstruction of the 3rd Regiment took place, followed in 1949 by that of the 8th and 1st Bersaglieri Regiment. The bersaglieri battalions were gradually integrated into the structure of the tank regiments and armored infantry regiments. In the 70s, the Army deployed the following bersaglieri units:

• 1st Armored Bersaglieri Regiment (Civitavecchia)
• 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment (Milan)
• 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (Pordenone)
• I Bersaglieri Battalion (Civitavecchia) under the 1st Armored Bersaglieri Regiment
• II Bersaglieri Battalion (Legnano) under the 4th Armored Infantry Regiment
• III Bersaglieri Battalion (Pordenone) under the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment
• IV Bersaglieri Battalion (Persano) under the 3rd Armored Infantry Regiment
• V Bersaglieri Battalion (Pordenone) under the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment
• VI Bersaglieri Battalion (Turin) under the 22nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Cremona"
• XI Bersaglieri Battalion (Sacile) under the 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi"
• XII Bersaglieri Battalion (Pordenone) under the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment
• XVIII Bersaglieri Battalion (Milan) under the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment
• XX Bersaglieri Battalion (Milan) under the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment
• XXIII Bersaglieri Battalion (Tauriano) under the 32nd Tank Regiment
• XXV Bersaglieri Battalion (Solbiate Olona) under the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment
• XXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion (Bellinzago Novarese) under the 31st Tank Regiment
• XXXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion (Aviano) under the 132nd Tank Regiment
• Bersaglieri Recruit Training Battalion (Rome) under the VIII Territorial Military Command

With the restructuring of the Army in 1975, which led to the abolition of regiments, the commands of the 3rd and 8th Bersaglieri Regiments were transformed into commands of two mechanized brigades, the 3rd "Goito" and the 8th "Garibaldi". The bersaglieri battalions, having become autonomous, were placed under various mechanized and armored brigades; smaller bersaglieri units were also established, at the level of an autonomous company. At the end of the restructuring, completed between 1976 and 1977, the following bersaglieri units were listed in the Army's order of battle:

• 3rd Mechanized Brigade Command "Goito" and its Command and Services Company (Milan)
• 8th Mechanized Brigade Command "Garibaldi" and its Command and Services Company (Pordenone)
• 1st Bersaglieri Battalion "La Marmora" (Civitavecchia)
• 2nd Bersaglieri Battalion "Governolo" (Legnano)
• 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Cernaia" (Pordenone)
• 6th Bersaglieri Battalion "Palestro" (Turin)
• 10th Bersaglieri Battalion "Bezzecca" (Solbiate Olona)
• 11th Bersaglieri Battalion "Caprera" (Orcenigo di Zoppola)
• 14th Bersaglieri Battalion "Sernaglia" (Albenga)
• 18th Bersaglieri Battalion "Poggio Scanno" (Milan)
• 23rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Castel di Borgo" (Tauriano)
• 26th Bersaglieri Battalion "Castelfidardo" (Maniago)
• 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano" (Aviano)
• 28th Bersaglieri Battalion "Oslavia" (Bellinzago Novarese)
• 67th Bersaglieri Battalion "Fagarè" (Persano)
• Anti-tank Company "Goito" (Vercelli)
• Anti-tank Company "Garibaldi" (Vivaro)
• Mechanized Company of the 1st Armored Regiment (Capo Teulada)
• 1st Special Bersaglieri Athletes Company (Rome)
• 2nd Special Bersaglieri Athletes Company (Naples)
• 3rd Special Bersaglieri Athletes Company (Bologna)
• 4th Special Bersaglieri Athletes Company (Orvieto)

Starting from the early 1990s, a second restructuring of the Army led to the abolition of numerous units, including the 3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito", and the merging and transfer of some of those that remained; the renaming of the 8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi" to Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi" and its transfer from Friuli Venezia Giulia to Campania; finally, the regiments were reconstituted, each based on one of the pre-existing battalions. At the end of the restructuring, the following bersaglieri units were still active:

• Bersaglieri Brigade Command "Garibaldi" and its Command and Services Company (Caserta)
• 1st Bersaglieri Regiment (Civitavecchia)
• 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment (Legnano)
• 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment (Milan)
• 6th Bersaglieri Regiment (Bologna)
• 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (Bari)
• 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (Caserta)
• 11th Bersaglieri Regiment (Orcenico Superiore di Zoppola)
• 12th Bersaglieri Regiment (Trapani)
• 18th Bersaglieri Regiment (Cosenza)

Starting from the 1980s, bersaglieri units have been frequently deployed outside Italy as part of almost all Italian military missions abroad, operating in Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Somalia, Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Latvia, and Libya.

In these missions, there have been several casualties. In 1994 in Somalia, bersagliere Alessandro Giardina was accidentally wounded by a fellow soldier and, having become quadriplegic, died in Italy in 2001 due to complications from the injury sustained.

In 1999 in Bosnia, in Đakovica, Pasquale Dragano, a corporal major of the 18th Bersaglieri Regiment, lost his life in an accident with his own firearm. In 2012 in Kosovo, Michele Padula, a corporal major of the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment, died in an accident with his own firearm. In 2013 in Afghanistan, Giuseppe La Rosa, a captain of the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment, fell during an attack in Farah, decorated posthumously with the gold medal for military valor.

La Marmora's Decalogue

1. Obedience
2. Respect
3. Absolute knowledge of one's rifle
4. Much shooting practice
5. Gymnastics of all kinds to the point of frenzy
6. Comradeship
7. Sense of family
8. Respect for the laws and honor to the King
9. Love for the Homeland
10. Self-confidence to the point of presumption.

The Symbols of the Corps

The Flag

The Bersaglieri, being organized at the maximum level of battalion, neither had nor could have the flag, granted only to regiments. They did not have it even at the end of 1870, when their battalions were organized into Regiments, as it was foreseen that the Bersaglieri units would still operate on the battlefield in small advanced detachments with light infantry tasks and (as was also the case in most similar units of other European armies) the practical utility of the flag in these circumstances seemed marginal compared to the considerable risk of it being captured by the enemy during the chaotic phases of vanguard combat. It was only with the royal decree of October 17, 1920 no. 1488 that the Bersaglieri regiments received their first insignia, in the form of banners, simultaneously with the Alpini regiments and the Arditi units, to allow the application of military valor decorations "to the flag" awarded to the units for the acts of arms of the First World War.

On June 7, 1938, the banner was replaced by the national flag, adopting a “reduced format” similar to the Cavalry standards, which at that time was closely associated with the Bersaglieri within the Rapid Troops. The Bersaglieri standard-bearers continued to carry the flag in parade like their old banners, that is, with the base of the pole inserted into the cup of a leather shoulder strap and the pole itself supported by the right arm alone, tilted forward.

With the advent of the Republic, the “reduced format” gave way to the “single type” and the leather shoulder strap was abolished: the flag in parade was from that moment held by the standard-bearer with both hands, always tilted forward and away from the body.

The Fanfare

The Bersaglieri fanfare was born with their first company on July 1, 1836, when a unit left the Ceppi barracks in Turin with wind instruments along with weapons: «…twelve soldiers marched at the head with the rifle on the left shoulder, holding hunting horns in the right with which they played a cheerful, lively march that made even the lame want to run…» (Quarenghi)

Since then, the Bersaglieri cannot participate in a parade without the fanfare, and the founding act of June 18, 1836 establishes that for each company there are 13 trumpets and a trumpeter corporal. The meeting for the musical training of the trumpeters of the various companies gave rise to the battalion fanfare, which in a few years became an autonomous unit, while the individual companies continued to have their own trumpeters. Over time, other wind instruments have been added to the trumpets.

Today it is the only band in the world to perform at a running pace. According to popular tradition, the use derives from the entry into Rome, at the breach of Porta Pia, which was to be carried out at a charging pace, but instead spontaneously became a run of the soldiers.

In addition to the fanfare of the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi", the 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 11th Bersaglieri Regiments have their own fanfare.

The Anthem

The Bersaglieri anthem was composed in 1860 by the very young Bersaglieri officer Giulio Ricordi with lyrics by the poet Giuseppe Regaldi. In 1862 Pietro Luigi Hertel made a version titled "Flik Flok". The current arrangement was made in 1886 by maestro Raffaele Cuconato as the "March of the Bersaglieri".

The Mottos of the Regiments

• 1st Regiment: "Ictu impetuque primus" (First in striking and attacking)
• 2nd Regiment: "Nulli secundus" (Second to none)
• 3rd Regiment: "Maiora viribus audere" (Dare with greater strength)
• 4th Regiment: "Vis animus impetus" (Strength courage impetus)
• 5th Regiment: "Nulla via impervia" (No path is inaccessible)
• 6th Regiment: "Certamine victures ardeo" (I yearn to win battles)
• 7th Regiment: "Celeritate ac virtute" (With speed and valor)
• 8th Regiment: "Velox ad impetum" (Swift in attack)
• 9th Regiment: "Invicte fortifiter celerrime" (Invincibly, more strongly, more swiftly)
• 10th Regiment: "In flammis flamma" (Flame among flames)
• 11th Regiment: "Quis ultra?" (Who more than us?)
• 12th Regiment: "Victoria nobis vita" (Victory is life for us)
• 13th Regiment: "In hostem acerrimus in victoria primis" (In combat the fiercest, in victory the first)
• 14th Regiment: "Meum tibi nomen usque gloriam florens" (For you my name flourishing until glory)
• 15th Regiment: "Laudem despicio, gloriam auspicio" (I despise praise, I desire glory)
• 16th Regiment: "Prisca in virtute nutrior et in spe" (I am nourished by ancient virtue and hope)
• 17th Regiment: "Nomen meum in aevum" (My name through the ages)
• 18th Regiment: "Invictus et paratus ad glorias renovandas" (Unconquered and ready to renew glory)
• 19th Regiment: "Ex vulnere vigor" (From the wound, strength)
• 20th Regiment: "Nitor in adversum" (Splendid in adversity)
• 21st Regiment: "Extremus non postremus" (The last but not the least)

War Cry

The Bersaglieri units traditionally salute with the war cry "Urrà!" starting from the Crimean War, derived either from the Russian "Ura!" ("Ура!") or the British "Huzzah!", both traditionally used in their respective armies with similar meaning. The only and rare exception is the reconstituted 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment which, only when aligned with other units of the "Sassari" Brigade, uses the cry "Fortza Paris!" ("Strength together" in Sardinian) of the Sassari Brigade, in which it has been incorporated since 2009.