The name of the combat group was chosen to commemorate the 185th Infantry Division "Folgore", which fought to annihilation in the Second Battle of El Alamein.

The "Garibaldi" regiment had been formed on 25 April 1945 in Viterbo with repatriated veterans of the Partisan Division "Garibaldi", which had fought alongside Yugoslav Partisans on the Yugoslav Front after the Armistice of Cassibile between Italy and the Western Allies.

The "Venezia", together with men of the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense", who had refused to surrender too (mainly troops from the Alpini Battalion "Ivrea" and the Mountain Artillery Group "Aosta"), saw heavy combat in Montenegro and out of its 16,000 men only 3,800 made it back to Italy.

On 15 October 1945 the Combat Group "Folgore" was elevated to division and began to move to the Northern Italian city of Treviso.

On 1 January 1963 the army raised the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" in Pisa and both units were allowed to keep the name and traditions of the Italian airborne divisions of World War II.

In 1963 the "Folgore" division received the 53rd Infantry Fortification Regiment "Umbria", and in 1964 the XII Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo".

By 1974 the division was organized as follows: The Italian Army undertook a major reform in 1975: the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of multi-arms brigades.