 Having become a national color with the unification of Italy (1861), its use continued even after the birth of the Italian Republic (1946) with the name "Italian blue".An Italian-blue border is in fact inserted on the edge of the Presidential Standard of Italy, and the use of the blue scarf for the Italian Armed Forces' officers, for the presidents of the Italian provinces during the official ceremonies, and of the blue jersey for Italian national sports teams it was also maintained in the Republican era.The origin of the color seems to date back to June 20, 1366 when Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, before leaving for a crusade commissioned by Pope Urban V and organized to help the Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos, cousin of a maternal part of the Savoy Count, wanted that on the flagship of the fleet of 17 ships and 2000 men, a galley of Republic of Venice, waved, next to the red-crusading silver banner of the Savoys, a blue flag