Over a platter of calamari arrabiata, Lewis said that if he designed a police uniform, he'd refer to the "fierce" Carabinieri's: Batman cape, Sam Browne sword belt, white gloves, S&M boots, and striped jodhpurs! Wow!
The Carabinieri is one of the Italian Republic's four military police forces. Thanks to a reader (see under this posting), I learned that the others are "Esercito", "Marina Militare", and "Areonautica Militare". All of them take orders from Italy's Ministry of Defense.
It seemed only natural that the Carabinieri's resplendent uniforms be designed by Italy's fashion house of Giorgio Armani. Unlike many other industrialized nations, their police look elegant and outstanding: striped trousers, paten leather white belt, silver braid, scarlet-lined capes, red-plumed hats (lucerna), gloves and swords.
Their name derives from the carbine rifles that they used to carry. Created by the king in 1814, they were similar to France's gendarmerie.
Notice the motorcycle cops, below, who have driving gloves with cuffs, and who sometimes wear epaulets (in the second picture).
Like many European nations, police departments utilize reliable vehicles from luxury brands. American cops have mediocre cars made by bloated/inefficient manufactures like Ford (Fix Or Repair Daily) and General Motors. European police use sensibly-sized BMW, Alfa Romero, and Mercedes.
The white cross-shoulder belt (seen above) indicates that the officer is on duty (unlike below).
Noticeably, the Carabinieri constables (above) carry themselves with more "grace and polish" than the regular Italian Polizia (below).
Being a military police, they participate in parades... also an excellent way of maintaining their "dashing" visibility.
The emblem on their hats is of an exploding grenade (seen in gold on the Lieutenant Colonel above).
They add decorum and orderliness to an old country that was famous for its factions and previous fascism.
Italians don't have a monopoly on stylish garb, though. Below are police from other countries:
City of London:
China:
Belleville Constables:
New South Wales (both below):
Toronto:
It would be great to have such handsome and competent cops in our great cities, too!
To see the trip that Lewis and I took to cherish Italy, please click this link:
