Italy   Italian Army technical service lieutenant’s visor cap (circa 1960) I love high peaked hats and if you visit Italy, you’ll see lots of them at the airports, train stations, etc.. On a recent trip to Rome, however, I was surprised at how few hats turned up at the enormous flea market at Porta Portese. You’d think there’d be hundreds of military caps floating around—but that’s not the case. Anyway, I did come across this rather more subdued cap from about 1960. It’s for a “Servici Techni” officer in the army. The modern hats have a similar badge, but usually in metal—and with a much higher peak. Incidentally, Italy uses the chinstrap to indicate rank. One loop holding the straps together indicate a lieutenant, two loops indicate a captain and three loops are for a major. Field-grade officers and generals have braided chinstraps. These too indicate specific rank.