Cappello Alpino The Cappello Alpino is the most distinctive feature of the Italian Army ' s Alpini troops uniform . The " Alpini " are light Infantry troops , specializing in mountain combat . Initially the Cappello was only issued to the Alpini , but soon the Cappello was adopted by the Alpini Corps ' support units like Artillery , signals , engineers . Today the Cappello is issued to members of 15 Army regiments , 3 battalions and various high commands . Thanks to the black raven feather , which is carried on each Alpini soldiers Cappello , the Alpinis are known as " Le Penne Nere " ( " The Black Feathers " ) in Italy . A nickname the Alpini quickly adopted for themselves . History . On June 7 , 1883 , the " Fiamme Verdi " ( green flames ) collar patches were introduced thus making the Alpini officially a specialty within the Italian infantry corps . At the same time the issuing of the Cappello Alpino began . At first the hat was a round black felt hat , nicknamed " bombetta " ( bowler hat ) , but with the introduction of the new green - grey uniform in 1910 the hat was changed to the distinctive grey felt hat that is still retained today . The Cappello Alpino is made of grey felt a quarter of an inch thick . In the front the rim is flattened to protect the face from rain and snow . On the left and right side four small metal encrusted holes allow for an exchange of air . Around the lower half of the round top section a green - grey leather band and for officers a golden braid encompasses the Cappello . Inside the Cappello has a two inch black leather band where Cappello and head meet . Each Cappello carries symbols which identify the wearers rank , unit and specialization : Description . The feather . Each soldier is issued with a black raven feather , which he will carry at all times on the Cappello Alpino . When in combat the feather will be placed on the left side of the helmet . Officers above the rank of captain originally wore a white eagle feather , which has been replaced in later years by a white goose feather . Non - commissioned officers and officers up to the rank of captain continue to carry a black eagle feather . The feather is approximately 10 - 12 inches long and is carried with a slight backward and inbound inclination on the left side of the Cappello . The Fregio . The fregio is a coat of arms indicating the wearer ' s regiment . It is black for soldiers , golden for officers ; both variants are sewn to the front of the Cappello . Today , soldiers serving on a permanent basis are issued the golden variant of the fregio too . Each fregio carries an eagle with spread wings on top and below symbols , which indicate the wearer ' s regiments specialization ( i . e . artillery regiment , logistics regiment . . . ) and at the center of the fregio a half - inch circle with the regiment ' s number . The symbols indicating a regiment ' s specialization are : The Nappina . Description . The nappina is a small piece of wood , on which a tuft of colored wool threads is sewn . The piece of wood contains a little hole , in which the feather is sheathed . Also a thin bended wire juts out from the wood to allow the nappina to be latched onto the left side of the Cappello Alpino . The nappina were first issued to distinguish between the battalions in an Alpini regiment : The colors are the same as found on the Italian flag of the Kingdom of Italy . Soldiers of the Mountain Artillery units were issued a green tuft with a black patch in the middle onto which the number of their battery was written in yellow . Officers below the rank of general and non - commissioned officers wear a golden colored metal wrap and generals a silver colored metal wrap instead of the nappina . Later further nappinas were issued in various colors and forms . Alpini . " For an overview of the nappinas of all Alpini battalions see the main article about the Alpini . " Today the following units continue to carry the nappina : Other Alpini units . The Alpini , not assigned to one of the traditional Alpini battalions , carry either a blue nappina or a blue nappina with a black roundel on which the type of superior unit is inscribed . Artillery . The Mountain Artillery units of the Alpine troops carry a green nappina with a black or yellow roundel on which the number of the battery or the type of superior unit is inscribed . The units in service , which carry an Artillery nappina , are the : Engineers and Signals . The Engineer and Signal units of the Alpine troops carry an amaranth nappina ; units that supported the 4th Alpine Army Corps directly had " CA " in white inscribed on the nappina . Logistic Services . Military logistics units ( Transport , Medical , Veterinary , Administrative , Commissariat and Maintenance units ) carry a violet nappina ; units that supported the 4th Alpine Army Corps directly had " CA " in white inscribed on the nappina . Rank insignia . Officers carry the grade displaying their rank on the left side of the Cappello Alpino . Instead of the nappina the feather is held in place by a silver or golden colored metal wrap . Non - commissioned officers and officers up to the rank of captain carry a brown eagle feather and officers starting with the rank of major carry a white goose feather , instead of the standard black raven feather .