The Lagunari Regiment "Serenissima" () is the an active unit of Italian Army's infantry arm's amphibious Lagunari speciality. The name of the specialty comes from the Italian word for lagoon (), while the regiment's name "Serenissima" commemorates the Most Serene Republic of Venice (). The regiment is based in Venice and assigned to the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". The "Pozzuolo del Friuli" brigade forms, together with the Italian Navy's Third Naval Division and San Marco Marine Brigade, the Italian Armed Forces' Sea Projection Force ().
The regiment was formed in 1957 as the Italian Army's amphibious force. Although the Lagunari are the youngest speciality of the Italian Army's infantry, the regiment carries the traditions of the naval infantry of the Republic of Venice, the traditions of the Republic of San Marco's Cacciatori del Sile, the traditions of Royal Italian Army's engineer arm's Lagunari units of World War I, and the traditions of the Amphibious Battalion "Sile".
History
Republic of Venice
In 1550 the Republic of Venice raised embarked troops for the Venetian fleet, which were named Fanti da Mar (Infantry of the Sea). Present on all Venetian ships the Fanti da Mar were disbanded after the Fall of the Republic of Venice.
Republic of San Marco
In 1848 the revolutions erupted in the Italian states and in Venice Daniele Manin declared the Republic of San Marco. The cities of the former Republic of Venice raised volunteer units to fight the Austrian forces, which occupied the region. One such force were the Cacciatori del Sile, a light infantry unit formed by the cities of Treviso and Padua and named for the Sile river, which straddles the Venetian Lagoon. On 21 October 1848 the unit moved through the Venetian Lagoon to attack Austrian forces on the Cavallino peninsula. After routing the Austrians the unit returned to its base in Venice-Lido, where on 23 October General Guglielmo Pepe honored the unit with a visit. In 1849 the Austrians subjugated the city and dissolved the Cacciatori del Sile.
Kingdom of Italy
After the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866 the Austro-Hungarian Empire had to cede what it still held of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia to the Second French Empire, which in turn ceded it to the Kingdom of Italy. With Italy now in possession of Venice it garrisoned the city with Royal Italian Army forces, which included the 14th Sappers Company of the army's Sappers Corps. On 1 January 1874 the corps was split into the 1st Engineer Regiment and 2nd Engineer Regiment. In 1877 the 14th Sappers Company, which was tasked with providing transport for military forces in the Venetian Lagoon, was renamed 14th Lagunari Company.
In 1883 the 2nd Engineer Regiment ceded four Pontieri companies, one train company, and the 14th Lagunari Company in Venice, to help form the 4th Engineer Regiment (Pontieri) in Piacenza. By 1887 the regiment included a Lagunari Brigade, which consisted of the 9th and 10th Lagunari companies, which had been formed by splitting the 14th Lagunari Company. In 1910 the brigades were renamed battalions.
World War I
During World War I the 4th Engineer Regiment (Pontieri) formed an additional six Lagunari companies, which operated on the extreme right flank of the Italian front in the estuaries of the Isonzo and Timavo river. After the Battle of Caporetto and the Italian retreat to the Piave river the companies operated in the Piave estuary and along the Sile river.
On 28 August 1918 the 8th Engineer Regiment (Lagunari) was formed in Ferrara and all Laguanri companies were transferred to the regiment. The regiment consisted of a command, the I Lagunari Battalion in Venice with the 9th, 15th, 20th, and 23rd company, and the II Lagunari Battalion with the 10th, 21st, 22nd, and 24th company in Ferrara. In October 1918 the regiment formed the 1st Train Company and the same month the regiment's companies were heavily engaged in the Piave delta during the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. In November 1918 the regiment moved to Venice, where it was disbanded on 21 November 1919. The last remaining battalion of the regiment with two Lagunari companies returned on the same date to the 4th Engineer Regiment (Pontieri), which was renamed Pontieri and Lagunari Engineer Regiment.