Golden Feathers

Lore & Background

On 7 June 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 M1909 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 sides, 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 wearer's rank, unit and specialization: the feather, the fregio, the nappina, and the rank insignia for non-commissioned and commissioned officers.

In Their Own Story

The Knight stands before a puzzle box, expecting to find a hidden treasure of Golden Feathers as rumored in false guides. He realizes his memory has been tricked by an external source, much like the shifting perspectives of the game itself, and continues his journey to understand the true nature of the Princess.

Reader's Guide

The feather is a black raven feather, approximately 10-12 inches long, carried with a slight backward and inbound inclination on the left side of the Cappello. Officers above the rank of captain originally wore a white eagle feather, later replaced by a white goose feather. Non-commissioned officers and officers up to the rank of captain carry a black eagle feather. The fregio is a coat of arms indicating the wearer's regiment, black for soldiers and golden for officers; soldiers serving on a permanent basis are issued the golden variant. The nappina is a small piece of wood with a tuft of coloured wool threads, used to distinguish battalions. The colours are the same as found on the Italian flag of the Kingdom of Italy. Officers below the rank of general and non-commissioned officers wear a golden-coloured metal wrap and generals a silver-coloured metal wrap instead of the nappina.

Did You Know?

• Thanks to the black raven feather, the Alpinis are known as Le Penne Nere ('The Black Feathers') in Italy.
• The nappina were first issued to distinguish between the battalions in an Alpini regiment.
• 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.