Flag of Italy
The national flag of Italy is a rectangular drape divided into three equally sized bands of green, white, and red, with the seal of the navy featured at the center. However, this seal has the crown removed and the lion is holding a book instead of a sword. The green band is placed in the hoist side, with a proportion of 2:3. The flag is referred to as Il Tricolore in Italian.
Symbolism
There have been many interpretations for the colors of the flag. A set of the common interpretations for these colors is the following:
- green represents the Italian hills and plains
- white represents the snowy alps
- red signifies the bloodshed in the Italian Independence Wars
A religious interpretation of these colors depicts them as symbols of the three cardinal virtues:
- green represents hope;
- white symbolizes faith;
- red represents charity.
Color Specifications
The official Pantone colors for the Italian flag are as follows:
Color |
Fern Green |
Bright White |
Flame Scarlet |
Value |
17-6153 TC |
11-0601 TC |
18-1662 TC |
History
- Repubblica Transpadana
The newly formed French client republic during the Napoleonic Wars and the military group attached to the French army adopted flags that bore the same tricolors. These were the colors chosen by the Legione Lombarda which is a summation of the city colors of Milan of red and white and the green of the Milan Civic guard uniforms.
- Repubblica Cispadana
On January 7, 1797, the Repubblica Cispadana adopted the tricolor as its official flag. The flag was a horizontal tricolor of red, white, and green. Found at the center is an emblem set in a crown of bay. It is composed of a quiver which is a tribute to a war trophy with four arrows. These arrows symbolized the four provinces that form the Po federation.
- Repubblica Cisalpina
When the first two republics merged to form the Repubblica Cisalpina, it adopted the vertical tricolor flag without the emblem in 1798. The flag took on a square shape.
- Repubblica Italiana
In 1802, the Repubblica Cisalpina was renamed Repubblica Italiana. It took on a different square flag which consisted of a red field bearing a white rhombus with a green square at its center.
- Regno d'Italia
When Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France, the Republica Italiana was renamed Regno d'Italiae. The Kingdom adopted the Repubblica Italiana flag with a rectangular shape. It bore Napoleon’s eagle on the central white square. It was used until Napoleon’s abdication in 1814.
- Italian Independence Wars
After Napoleon’s abdication, Italy was once again divided into nine separate states, with Austria still controlling their territories. Each of the Italian states had their own flags to represent their government.
Between 1848 and 1861, a series of events led to the independence of Italy from outside domination and subsequently unified the country. Throughout this period, known as Risorgimento, the Italian tricolor became a unifying symbol for the people’s fight towards freedom and independence. Many states in Italy changed their flags to incorporate the tricolor to reflect on the commitment of all Italians to the freedom of its motherland.
- Kingdom of Italy (1861 – 1946)
The newly formed Kingdom of Italy adopted the Kingdom of Sardinia/Piedmont flag on April 15, 1861 as its national flag. The flag consisted of the Italian tricolor with the House of Savoy's coat of arms. It was to remain as the national flag for 85 years, until the establishment of the Italian Republic.
- Italian Social Republic (1943 – 1945)
The state flag used by the Nazi puppet state resembled the modern flag used by the Italian Republic. Meanwhile, the war flag bore a dark grey eagle clutching a fasces symbol at its center. The latter flag was much used in propaganda campaigns.
- Italian Republic
The current Italian national flag was adopted on January 1, 1948. According to the Italian constitution, the flag of the republic is the Italian tricolor of green, white, and red, appearing as equally sized vertical bands.
