Soldati 1º Reggimento Bersaglieri (Rory Lewis Photographer 2020)
Following my successful portrait exhibition Soldiery (British Army Portraits). I embarked on a new project documenting the Italian Army. Entitled Soldati della Repubblica, I spent the summer of 2018 in Italy capturing portraits of a series of uniquely historical and diverse regiments of the Esercito Italiano.
In 1836, the Piedmontese Army (later to become the Sardinian and then the core of the Royal Italian army) adopted light infantry formations similar to the French chasseurs and Austrian jägers.
These Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” wore distinctive black uniforms with brimmed hats, trailing cock’s feathers. The formation was created by Alfonso del la Marmora.
They were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the French chasseurs that inspired their creation, a level of independence and initiative was encouraged so they could operate in looser formations where command control was not so immediate.
Soldati 1º Reggimento Bersaglieri (Rory Lewis Photographer 2020)