Corpo delle crocerossine

The Corpo delle crocerossine — known until 30 April 2026 as the Corpo delle infermiere volontarie — is the exclusively female component of the Croce Rossa Italiana (Italian Red Cross) and an auxiliary corps of the Italian armed forces. Its members, commonly called crocerossine, provide nursing and socio-health assistance on a voluntary and unpaid basis, both in ordinary service at Italian Red Cross and military facilities and in extraordinary service during civil and military emergencies. The corps was formally established in Rome in 1908 on the initiative of Queen Elena of Montenegro, although the activity of the "dame della Croce Rossa" dates back to the 19th century and a first outline of its duties and structure dates to 1888. In its first year about a thousand nurses graduated, and many took part in the relief efforts after the Messina earthquake. Its first wartime nursing deployment came in 1911 during the Italo-Turkish War, when around 60 nurses, including the Duchess of Aosta, cared for wounded soldiers aboard the ship Menfi. During the First World War more than 7,000 volunteer nurses served in the 204 Italian Red Cross field hospitals, managing some 30,000 beds. In the 1930s they were present in Ethiopia, Somalia, Abyssinia, Libya and Eritrea, as well as during the Spanish Civil War, and they played a crucial relief role in all theatres of the Second World War, particularly aboard hospital ships such as the Toscana and the Aquileia. Eighteen crocerossine died from war causes, two of them in concentration camps and two shot by the Wehrmacht. After the Second World War, under the direction of Paola Menada, the crocerossine were sent to Korea and to national disasters (the 1951 Polesine flood, the Vajont disaster, the Florence flood, the Belice earthquake) and foreign ones (the 1953 Netherlands flood, the Agadir earthquake). In recent years the corps has been deployed on missions in Lebanon, Somalia, Mozambique, Turkey, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan within United Nations missions. With Law 25 June 1985, no. 342, President of the Republic Sandro Pertini granted the corps the use of the national flag for its high civil and military merits. Legislative Decree 28 September 2012, no. 178, which transformed the Italian Red Cross from a public body into a private-law association, preserved the rules of the Military Code governing the two auxiliary volunteer corps of the Italian armed forces. With Law 1 April 2026, no. 48, the corps was renamed "Corpo delle crocerossine". As of 2008 it had 10,124 members.

The Corpo delle crocerossine, known until 30 April 2026 as the Corpo delle infermiere volontarie, is the exclusively female component of the Croce Rossa Italiana and an auxiliary corps of the Italian armed forces. The activity of the "dame della Croce Rossa" began in the 19th century, and a first outline of the group's duties and structure dates to 1888. The corps was formally established in Rome in 1908 on the initiative of Queen Elena of Montenegro. In that first year about a thousand nurses graduated, and many took part in the relief efforts after the Messina earthquake. Its first wartime nursing deployment came in 1911 during the Italo-Turkish War, when around 60 nurses, including the Duchess of Aosta, cared for wounded soldiers aboard the ship Menfi. During the First World War more than 7,000 volunteer nurses served in the 204 Italian Red Cross field hospitals, managing some 30,000 beds. Despite initial difficulties in being integrated into the predominantly male military sphere, in the 1930s the volunteer nurses were present in Ethiopia, Somalia, Abyssinia, Libya and Eritrea, as well as during the Spanish Civil War. They subsequently played a crucial relief role in all theatres of the Second World War, particularly aboard hospital ships such as the Toscana and the Aquileia. Eighteen crocerossine died from war causes, two of them in concentration camps and two shot by the Wehrmacht. After the Second World War, under the direction of Paola Menada, the crocerossine were sent to Korea and to national disasters (the November 1951 Polesine flood, the Vajont disaster, the Florence flood, the Belice earthquake) and foreign ones (the 1953 Netherlands flood, the Agadir earthquake). In recent years the corps has been deployed on missions in Lebanon, Somalia, Mozambique, Turkey, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan within United Nations missions. With Law 25 June 1985, no. 342, President of the Republic Sandro Pertini granted the corps the use of the national flag for its high civil and military merits. Legislative Decree 28 September 2012, no. 178, which transformed the Italian Red Cross from a public body into a private-law association, preserved the rules of the Military Code and the consolidated text of regulatory provisions on military organization that govern the performance of the duties of the two auxiliary volunteer corps of the Italian armed forces. With Law 1 April 2026, no. 48, the corps was renamed "Corpo delle crocerossine". As of 2008 it had 10,124 members. The corps is an auxiliary body of the armed forces with healthcare assistance duties, and has always been employed not only in war theatres but also in emergencies and humanitarian missions, both national and abroad. The crocerossine of the Italian Red Cross provide nursing and socio-health assistance whenever they serve at Italian Red Cross and armed forces facilities, in particular in territorial and mobile health units of the Italian Red Cross or the state armed forces; in anti-aircraft and anti-gas health defence of civilian populations; in relief to populations in the event of epidemics and public calamities; in temporary and exceptional assistance according to the indications of the Italian Red Cross; in all preventive and intervention actions in the hygienic-sanitary and welfare field and in the prophylaxis of infectious diseases; and in the dissemination and training of health education, first aid and international humanitarian law for populations and armed forces personnel. Their employment is envisaged in peacekeeping operations, civil and military hospitals, outpatient clinics in various barracks, assistance to the population, and civil and military emergencies both at home and abroad. All activities are carried out exclusively on a voluntary and unpaid basis. To join the corps, candidates must complete a specific training path, as established by the discipline of the course of study for Italian Red Cross volunteer nurses approved by interministerial decree. Training involves a two-year theoretical-practical course of 2,000 hours including professionalizing internships in military and civil hospitals, outpatient clinics and welfare centres, performed voluntarily. Legislative Decree 66/2010 states that personnel holding the diploma, equivalent to the certificate of qualification as a specialized socio-health operator, exclusively within the services provided and in the performance of the proper duties of the armed forces and the Italian Red Cross, is enabled to provide emergency and health assistance with the functions and activities proper to the nursing profession. The Council of State, however, excluded the equivalence of the Italian Red Cross Volunteer Nurse Diploma with the O.S.S.S. title, noting that the training path of Italian Red Cross crocerossine does not include the study of social subjects contemplated in the training offer of socio-health operators, and that they should therefore attend an integrative path to acquire all the competences proper to the OSS. Upon appointment they are directly conferred the rank of volunteer nurse, corresponding to that of second lieutenant, thus all falling within the corps.

• 2026

  Law 1 April 2026, no. 48, renamed the corps "Corpo delle crocerossine".

• 2012

  Legislative Decree 28 September 2012, no. 178, transformed the Italian Red Cross from a public body into a private-law association, preserving rules on the auxiliary volunteer corps.

• 2008

  The corps counted 10,124 members.

• 1985

  Law 25 June 1985, no. 342, granted the corps the use of the national flag for high civil and military merits.

• 1951

  Under Paola Menada's direction, crocerossine sent to Korea and to the Polesine flood.

• 1940

  Crucial relief role in all theatres of the Second World War, particularly aboard hospital ships Toscana and Aquileia; eighteen crocerossine died from war causes.

• 1930

  Volunteer nurses present in Ethiopia, Somalia, Abyssinia, Libya and Eritrea, and during the Spanish Civil War.

• 1915

  During the First World War, over 7,000 volunteer nurses served in 204 Italian Red Cross field hospitals with 30,000 beds.

• 1911

  First wartime nursing deployment during the Italo-Turkish War, with around 60 nurses caring for wounded aboard the ship Menfi.

• 1908

  Corps formally established in Rome on the initiative of Queen Elena of Montenegro; about a thousand nurses graduated and many took part in relief after the Messina earthquake.

• 1888

  First outline of the duties and structure of the Red Cross ladies' group.

A voluntary, unpaid, all-female auxiliary nursing corps of the Italian Red Cross and the Italian armed forces, dedicated to preventing and alleviating suffering and promoting human dignity.

• Volunteer nursing and socio-health assistance

• Emergency and disaster relief

• Military and civil healthcare support

• Health education and first-aid training

• International humanitarian and peacekeeping missions

1. 1Corpo Infermiere Volontarie CRI - Croce Rossa Italianacri.it
2. 2I Soci - Croce Rossa Italianacri.it
3. 3Statuto - Croce Rossa Italianacri.it
4. 4Codice Etico - Croce Rossa Italianacri.it
5. 5Corpo delle crocerossine - Wikipediait.wikipedia.org
6. 6Corpo delle crocerossine - Wikidatawikidata.org