Awards of
World War IIThe first version of the Medal of Valor for the Navy was established in the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1836. Despite various amendments to the statute, the award has always remained in the awards system, both after the unification of the Kingdom of Italy and after the birth of the Italian Republic, and remains part of the Italian awards system to this day.
The medal exists in three classes: bronze, silver, and gold.
The two highest classes of the award are intended for those who committed an act of valor at real risk to their own lives. For the bronze version, an act of valor may be committed without risking life.
To receive the gold version of the award, a combination of circumstances was required that made the act of valor at the risk of one's life justified and deserving of the highest praise.
The Medal for Naval Valor could also be awarded posthumously for an act of valor that cost the hero his life.
The award was made of material corresponding to its grade, in the form of a perfect circle. On the obverse, in the center, is the coat of arms of the House of Savoy, surmounted by a crown. Around the coat of arms is a wreath of oak branches on the right and laurel branches on the left, intertwined at the bottom with a ribbon. Along the outer edge are the inscriptions "AL VALORE" on the left and "DI MARINA" on the right (For Valor at Sea).
The medal's reverse features an oak wreath, with the recipient's name inscribed in the center. The date and place of the act of valor are inscribed along the outer edge.
The medal is attached to the award ribbon with a loop. The ribbon is silk, moiré, blue, with two white stripes on each edge, one narrow, the other wide.