The first "Arditi" units were formed in the 2nd Army during the summer 1917. Their uniform was characterized by a cycling jacket with turned-up collar and shorts like the Alpines; puttee bands or socks. Under the jacket they wore a gray-green sweater with turned-up collar. The headgear was that of origin and during the action it was substituted by the helmet.
The uniform remained unchangeable up to the dissolution of the specialty. Only in 1918, because of the limited availability of sweaters, they were substituted by gray-green shirts and black necktie. The headgear was the black fez used by the Bersaglieri.
Also the flames with two tips were black. The color was chosen by Colonel Bassi, Commander at the School of the 2nd Sdricca Army in Manzano (UD), in order to honour the maternal ancestor Pier Fortunato Calvi who inspired and guided the anti-Austrian revolt in Cadore (1848). Calvi, whose centenary from the birth was in 1917, wore a black necktie as symbol of the secret Society of the Carbonari and the venetian rebellion.
The "Arditi" units derived from the Bersaglieri and the Alpines continued to wear the patches of origin, with the particular badge worn by the "Arditi" to the left arm, and the headgear composed of a flaming grenade similar to that of the Bersaglieri and two crossed daggers under the grenade with the Roman numeral of the unit.
By contrast, the "Arditi" regimental platoons wore the cycling jacket and trousers, the "Ardito" military badge to the left arm, while the patches and the decoration on the cap remained those of the regiment of origin.