why does italy wear blue

Italy wears blue because the color comes from the old royal House of Savoy, whose traditional shade “azzurro Savoia” (Savoy blue) became a national symbol and then the standard color for Italian sports teams.

Quick Scoop

1. The royal origin of the blue

• Before Italy was a republic, it was unified under the monarchy of the House of Savoy in the 19th century.

• Savoy used a specific blue, “azzurro Savoia,” alongside its red-and-white coat of arms as a sign of devotion and royal prestige.

• That blue was linked to the Virgin Mary’s blue mantle, a powerful religious and cultural symbol in Catholic Europe.

2. From monarchy to sports jersey

• When Italy unified in 1861 under the Savoys, their “azzurro” became a color of state and identity, even though it never appeared on the national flag.

• Early national teams sometimes wore white, but by the early 1900s football and other sports had adopted blue as the main jersey color.

• The national teams were soon nicknamed “Gli Azzurri” (the Blues), a label that stuck across football, rugby, and many other sports.

3. Why keep blue after the king was gone?

• In 1946, Italy became a republic and the monarchy was abolished, but the blue shirts stayed.

• By then, the color had shifted from “royal” blue to a shared symbol of unity, pride, and continuity for Italians rather than loyalty to a king.

• Today, blue functions almost like a second national color in stadiums and global events, instantly signaling “Italy” even without the flag.

4. But wait, the flag isn’t blue…

• Italy’s flag is green, white, and red; blue is completely absent.

• The tricolor reflects geography and virtues (plainly explained as green for land or hope, white for snow or faith, red for blood or charity), while blue stands separately as a historical-sporting color.

• That contrast—tricolor flag, blue jerseys—is exactly why so many people keep asking “why does Italy wear blue” in forums and football discussions.

5. A modern cultural badge

• “Azzurro” is now a shorthand for Italian national teams of all genders and ages: Azzurri, Azzurre, Azzurrini.

• Blue crowds in football and rugby stadiums are seen as a visual expression of Italian unity and passion, more emotional than strictly political.

• Even when shirt designs change or experiment, public pressure often demands a return to that classic blue, showing how deeply it’s woven into Italian identity.

TL;DR: Italy wears blue because of “azzurro Savoia,” the royal Savoy blue adopted in the unification era, which evolved from a monarchic color into the enduring, emotional symbol of Italian national teams and fans.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.