| Savoy blue | |
|---|---|
 Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #4B61D1 |
| sRGBB (r,g,b) | (75, 97, 209) |
| HSV (h,s,v) | (230°, 64%, 82%) |
| CIELChuv (L,C,h) | (45, 94, 262°) |
| Source | [Unsourced] |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Vivid blue |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
Savoy blue (Italian:blu Savoia) orSavoy azure (azzurro Savoia), also known asItalian blue (blu italiano), is ashade ofsaturatedblue betweenpeacock blue andperiwinkle, lighter than peacock blue.[1] Since the middle ages, it has been the colour of theHouse of Savoy, the royal dynasty of theKingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1946. As well as its predecessor state, the kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmonte.
Having become aNational symbol of Italy with theRisorgimento (1859–70), its use continued even after thebirth of the Italian Republic (1946) under the nameItalian blue. Currently, it's used in thePresidential Standard of Italy, thesashes for theItalian Armed Forces' officers and the presidents of theProvinces of Italy during the official ceremonies, and of the blue jersey forItalian national sports teams.
The origin of the colour seems to date back to 20 June 1366 whenAmadeus VI, Count of Savoy, before leaving for theAlexandrian Crusade to help his cousin, the Byzantine emperorJohn V Palaiologos, wanted that on theflagship of the fleet of 17 ships and 2,000 men, agalley from theRepublic of Venice, waved, next to the red banner with the silver cross of the Savoys, a blue flag:[2]
[...] of devotion of Azure Banner with the image of Our Lady in the field sown with stars (gold). And that colour of sky consecrated to Mary is, as far as it seems to me, the origin of our national colour [...][a]
The colour therefore has aMarian implication, bearing in mind that there is also the possibility that the use of a blue banner by the Savoys started earlier.[4] In any case the oldest documented Savoy flags, dating back to 1589, have the colours red, white (or the colours of the coat of arms of the dynasty) and blue.[5] The latter colour acquired over time prevalence until it became the Italian national colour.
Referring to the Marian devotions, the ribbons of theOrder of the Annunciation (the highest Savoyardorder of chivalry), are blue, as are the ribbons of theMilitary Order of Savoy until 1855 and of theMedal of Military Valor and theWar Cross for Military Valor until today.[6]
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For the officers, a blue sash was provided in the outfit, worn passing over the right shoulder and knotted on the left side. In 1572 this use was made obligatory for all the officers byEmmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.[6] Through various transformations, the Savoy blue sash is still the main insignia of the Italian armed forces' officers, who dress it both in ceremonial services and, sometimes, on guard.[6] The Soldiers of theRoyal Sardinian Army before 1848 wore a bluecockade.
Other uses in the Republican era of Savoy blue are the edge of the Italian presidential standard as well as on the institutional flags of someprimary public offices (Prime Minister of Italy,minister and undersecretary of defence, high degrees of theItalian Navy and of theItalian Air Force), as well as on the distinctions of the presidents of theItalian provinces[6][7] and on the aircraft used by theFrecce Tricolori.
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In the sporting field, the Savoy blue distinguishes almost all of theathletes who represent Italy internationally in any discipline: the origin of the use of this colour dates back to 6 January 1911, when theItaly national football team faced inMilan theHungary national football team.[6][8] The term blue shirt by now represents formetonymy the international appearance for Italy, and the athletes who represent the country are calledazzurri.[9] Furthermore, since 2021, the color has been chosen as the livery color of the aircraft of the Italian flag carrierITA Airways.
There is no univocalcolour coding of the blue shirt, so that the shade of blue is historically varied over time both within the same national team and, for example, in the same historical era between national teams of different disciplines.[10]
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