Italian Carabinieri Bands (''Banda dell’Arma dei Carabinieri'') refers to the military/police bands that are a part of the

Arma dei Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign pol ...

of the

Italian Republic Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. These bands which serve at the Carabinieri's headquarters in the capital of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

are among the most famous musical groups in Europe. The bands perform in the corps' ceremonial uniform, which includes a distinctive black uniform made of silver

braid A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strand ...

s, and a traditional two-pointed hat known as the Lucerna or a

bicorne The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, whic ...

. Since 2000, the bands of the Carabinieri have been under the direction of Massimo Martinelli.

Origins, traditions, and present day

The original Carabinieri band was founded in 1820 when a fanfare team of trumpeters was introduced into the Royal Carabinieri Corps for the first time. This group performed ceremonial fanfares for the Italian King and the Royal Carabinieri for over 40 years before being expanded into a formal brass band and then developed into a full band contingent in 1862. Since 1920, the band has been branded and identified under its present name. The prestige of the band grew very quickly in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and abroad, with its first tour since its inception being to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1916, performing with the

French Republican Guard Band The Republican Guard Band () is a military band unit of the French Republican Guard (France), Republican Guard, which is part of the National Gendarmerie. The band is composed of 120 professional musicians from national conservatories. As the sen ...

at monuments and memorials for veterans and wounded active servicemen of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Beginning in 1947, which was two years after the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and one year after the establishment of the

, the band took part in a world tour which included 25 countries in the newly liberated

European continent Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the eas ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and 35 cities in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. With Carabinieri bands also serving as police band alongside their military role, the bands of the corps traditional participate in law enforcement related events, such as the International Festival of Police Bands in Japan in 2001, as well as in the World Expo in Aichi in 2005. In 2001 the band performed for

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

during the first official visit of a pontiff to the Chamber of Deputies. Today the bands of the corps account for 102 professional musicians, who play a vast repertory varying from original pieces composed specially for the band, to famous military marches and modern music, performing in concert halls, theaters, on radio or television. The oldest of these, the Rome-based National Band, is the official presidential band of the Republic, co-shared in this duty by the Mounted Band, made up of mounted musicians assigned to the Carabinieri Cavalry Regiment.

Structure

* National Carabinieri Band ** Fanfare Section * Band of the Carabineri NCO School

* Band of the Carabineri Basic School

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

* Band of the Warrant Officers’ School (

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

) * Band of the “Lombardy” Battalion (

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

) * Band of the “Campania” Battalion (

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

) * Band of the “Sicily” Battalion (

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

) * Mounted Carabinieri Band of the Carabinieri (4th) Cavalry Regiment

Gallery

File:2june2006 073.jpg, File:Carabinieri band (34110118594).jpg, Fanfare band File:Festa della Repubblica 2016 58.webm,

References

External links

{{Authority control Types of musical groups Wind bands Police bands Italian military bands Units and formations of the Carabinieri Military units and formations established in 1820