M1873 Italian Cavalry Sword

I bought this at the Rose Bowl Flea market in the 70s when I was in high school. It was $8. I was told it is English but I have never found a match for it.
Turns out it is Italian.
One neat feature is that there is a trick to remove it from the scabbard. You put your thumb under the guard and lift up with your thumb otherwise it is very difficult to remove.
It was broken and repaired and you can see the spot in the third photo.
Much lighter and straighter than the wrist breakers used in the Civil War and has a beefy hand guard. Whenever a sword fight breaks out this is the sword I choose despite the missing wood on the handle.
It has the number 8000 on the guard and a different number on the scabbard otherwise I have not seen any marking on it. I am thinking it is late 19th century or early 20th century.
Turns out I am right to choose this for sword fighting as it was designed to be more useful in combat. Older swords were slow and not well balanced. This one is light and easy to handle like a fencing foil but much stronger.
I have seen it called an Officer's sword and the Trooper's sword so I left that part for now.
Thank you Chrisnp for solving the mystery.