Flag of Italy

Italian Republic

il Tricolore
Use	National flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	18 June 1946(18 June 1946)(founding of the Italian Republic)
Design	A verticaltricolourof green, white and red
Use	Civil ensign
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	9 November 1948(1948-11-09)
Design	An Italian tricolourdefacedwith a variant of the arms of theItalian Navyand without amural crown
Use	State ensign
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	24 October 2003(2003-10-24)
Design	An Italian tricolour defaced with theEmblem of Italy
Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	9 November 1947(1947-11-09)
Design	An Italian tricolour defaced with the arms of the Italian Navy
Use	War flag
Proportion	1:1
Design	An Italian tricolour with a dimension ratio of 1:1

TheFlag of Italy(Italian:Bandiera d'Italia,pronounced[banˈdjɛːradiˈtaːlja]), often referred to asThe Tricolour(il Tricolore[iltrikoˈloːre]), is a flag featuring three equally sized verticalpalesof green, white and red, with the green at the hoist side, as defined by Article 12 of theConstitution of the Italian Republic.The Italian law regulates its use and display, protecting its defense and providing for thecrime of insulting it;it also prescribes its teaching in Italian schools together with othernational symbols of Italy.

The ItalianFlag DaynamedTricolour Daywas established by law n. 671 of 31 December 1996, and is held every year on 7 January. This celebration commemorates the first official adoption of the tricolour as a national flag by a sovereign Italian state, theCispadane Republic,a Napoleonicsister republicofRevolutionary France,which took place inReggio Emiliaon 7 January 1797, on the basis of the events following theFrench Revolution(1789–1799) which, among its ideals, advocated nationalself-determination.The Italian national colours appeared for the first time inGenoaon atricolour cockadeon 21 August 1789, anticipating by seven years the first green, white and red Italian militarywar flag,which was adopted by theLombard LegioninMilanon 11 October 1796.

After 7 January 1797, popular support for the Italian flag grew steadily, until it became one of the most important symbols ofItalian unification,which culminated on 17 March 1861 with theproclamation of the Kingdom of Italy,of which the tricolour became the national flag. Following its adoption, the tricolour became one of the most recognisable and defining features of united Italian statehood in the following two centuries of thehistory of Italy.

History

The French Revolution

Main articles:Cockade of ItalyandCockade of France

Further information:National colours of Italy

Thecockade of France,which originated and spread among the revolts of theFrench Revolution

The Italian tricolour, like othertricolour flags,is inspired by theFrench one,introduced by therevolutionin 1790 onFrench Navywarships,and is symbolic of the renewal perpetrated by the origins ofJacobinism.Shortly after theFrench revolutionary events,the ideals of social innovation began to spread widely on the basis of the advocacy of theDeclaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizenof 1789, including in Italy, and subsequently political innovation with the first patriotic ferments addressed to the nationalself-determinationthat later led to theItalian unificationon theItalian peninsula.For this reason, the French blue, white and red flag became the first reference of the Italian Jacobins and subsequently a source of inspiration for the creation of an Italian identity flag.

On 12 July 1789, two days before thestorming of the Bastille,the revolutionary journalistCamille Desmoulins,while hailing the Parisian crowd to revolt, asked the protesters what colour to adopt as a symbol of the French Revolution, proposing green, a symbol ofhopeor theblueof theAmerican Revolution,a symbol offreedomanddemocracy.The protesters replied "The green! The green! We want green cockades!"Desmoulins then seized a green leaf from the ground and pointed it to the hat as a distinctive sign of the revolutionaries.The green, in the primitiveFrench cockade,was immediately abandoned in favour of blue and red, theancient colours of Paris,because it was also the colour of the king's brother,Count of Artois,who became monarch after theFirst Restorationwith the name ofCharles X of France.The French tricolour cockade was then completed on 17 July 1789 with the addition of white, the colour of theHouse of Bourbon,in deference to KingLouis XVIof France, who still ruled despite the violent revolts that raged in the country; the French monarchy wasabolished on 10 August 1792.

Thecockade of Italy,on which thenational colours of Italywere based in 1789

The first documented use ofItalian national coloursis dated 21 August 1789. In the historical archives of theRepublic of Genoait is reported that eyewitnesses had seen some demonstrators hanging ared, white and green cockadeon their clothes.The Italian gazettes of the time had created confusion about the facts of French Revolution, especially on the replacement of green with blue, reporting that the French tricolour was green, white and red.When the correct information on the chromatic composition of the French tricolour arrived in Italy, the Italian Jacobins decided to keep green instead of blue, because it represented nature and therefore metaphorically, alsonatural rights,orsocial equalityandfreedom,both principles dear to them.

The red, white and green cockade then reappeared several years later on 13–14 November 1794 worn by a group of students of theUniversity of Bologna,led by Luigi Zamboni and Giovanni Battista De Rolandis who attempted to plot a popular riot to topple the Catholic government ofBologna,a city which was part of thePapal Statesat the time. Zamboni and De Rolandis defined themselves as "patriots" and wore tricolour cockades to signal they were inspired by Jacobin revolutionary ideals, but modified them also to distinguish themselves from the French cockade.

The red, white and green cockade appeared, after the events of Bologna, duringNapoleon's entry intoMilan,which took place on 15 May 1796.These cockades, having the typical circular shape, possessed red on the outside, green on an intermediate position, and white on the centre.These ornaments were worn by the rioters even during the religious ceremonies officiated inside theMilan Cathedralas thanks for the arrival of Napoleon, who was seen, at least initially, as a liberator.The tricolour cockades then became one of the official symbols of the Milanese National Guard, which was founded on 20 November 1796, and then spread elsewhere along theItalian peninsula.Later the green, white and red cockade spread to a greater extent, gradually becoming the only ornament used in Italy by the rioters.The patriots began to call it "Italian cockade"making it become one of thesymbols of the country.The green, white and red tricolour thus acquired a strong patriotic value, becoming one of the symbols of national awareness, a change that gradually led it to enter thecollective imaginationof theItalians.

The Napoleonic era

Main article:Flags of Napoleonic Italy

Further information:Sala del Tricolore

The war flag of theLombard Legion,which was the first military unit to adopt the three Italian national colours

The oldest documented mention of the Italian tricolour flag is linked toNapoleonBonaparte's first descent into theItalian peninsula.The first territory to be conquered by Napoleon wasPiedmont;in the historical archive of the Piedmontese municipality ofCherascois preserved a document attesting, on 13 May 1796, on the occasion of theArmistice of Cherascobetween Napoleon and the Austro-Piedmontese troops, the first mention of the Italian tricolour, referring to municipal banners hoisted on three towers in the historic centre.On the document the term "green" was subsequently crossed and replaced by "blue", the colour that forms – together with white and red – the French flag.

With the start of thefirst campaign in Italy,in many places the Jacobins of the Italian peninsula rose up, contributing, together with the Italian soldiers framed in the Napoleonic army, to the French victories.This renewal was accepted by the Italians despite being linked to the conveniences of Napoleonic France, which had strong imperialist tendencies because the new political situation was seen as better than the previous one. However, this double-threaded link with France was more acceptable than the previous centuries ofabsolutism.

Flag of theCispadane Republic,which was the first Italian tricolour adopted by a sovereign Italian state (1797)

On 11 October 1796, Napoleon communicated to theDirectoratethe birth of theLombard Legion,a military unit constituted by the General Administration ofLombardy,a government that was headed by theTranspadane Republic(1796–1797).On this document, with reference to itswar flag,which followed the French tricolour and which was proposed to Napoleon by the Milanese patriots,it is reported that this military unit would have had a red, white and green banner, colours formerly used by Milanese National Guard as well as on the cockades.In a ceremony at thePiazza del Duomoon 16 November 1796, amilitary flagwas presented to the Lombard Legion. The Lombard Legion was therefore the first Italian military department to equip itself, as a banner, with a tricolour flag.The first official approval of the Italian flag by the authorities was therefore as a military insignia of the Lombard Legion and not yet as thenational flagof a sovereign Italian state.

With the succession of Napoleon's military victories and the consequent founding of republics favourable to revolutionary ideals, red, white and green were adopted on military banners as a symbol of social and political innovation in many Italian cities.On 19 June 1796,Bolognawas occupied by Napoleon's troops.On 18 October 1796,together with the establishment of the Italian Legion (the military banner of this military unit was composed of a red, white and green tricolour, probably inspired by the similar decision of the Lombard Legion),the wire Napoleonic congregation of magistrates, and deputies of Bologna, decided to create acivic bannerof red, white and green, this time released from military use.Following the adoption by the Bolognese congregation, the Italian flag became a political symbol of the struggle for the independence of Italy from foreign powers, supported by its use also in the civil sphere.

The first red, white and green national flag of a sovereign Italian state was adopted on 7 January 1797, when the Fourteenth Parliament of theCispadane Republic(1797), on the proposal of deputyGiuseppe Compagnoni,decreed "to make universal the... standard or flag of three colours, green, white, and red...":

Giuseppe Compagnoni,considered the "father of the Italian flag"

[...] From the minutes of the XIV Session of the Cispadan Congress: Reggio Emilia, 7 January 1797, 11 am.Patriotic Hall.The participants are 100, deputies of the populations of Bologna, Ferrara, Modena and Reggio Emilia. Giuseppe Compagnoni also motioned that the standard or Cispadan Flag of three colours, Green, White and Red, should be rendered Universal and that these three colours should also be used in the Cispadan Cockade, which should be worn by everyone. It is decreed. [...]

— Decree of adoption of the tricolour flag by the Cispadane Republic

For having proposed the green, white and red tricolour flag, Giuseppe Compagnoni is considered the "father of the Italian flag".The congress decision to adopt a green, white and red tricolour flag was then greeted by a jubilant atmosphere, such was the enthusiasm of the delegates, and by a peal of applause.The adoption of the Italian flag by a sovereign Italian state, the Cispadane Republic, was inspired by this Bolognese banner, linked to a municipal reality and therefore still having a purely local scope, and to the previous military banners of the Lombard Legion and Italian Legion.In particular, the Italian Legion was formed by soldiers coming fromEmiliaandRomagna.The flag of the Cispadane Republic was a horizontal square with red uppermost and, at the heart of the whitefess,an emblem composed of a garland of laurel decorated with a trophy of arms and four arrows, representing the four provinces that formed the Republic. In France, due to the Revolution, the flag went from having a "dynastic" and "military" meaning to a "national" one, and this concept, still unknown in Italy, was transmitted by the French to the Italians.

TheSala del Tricolore,which later became the council hall of the municipality ofReggio Emilia,where the Italian flag was born on 7 January 1797

The Cispadane Republic and the Transpadane Republic merged in 1797 into theCisalpine Republic(1797–1802) and adopted the vertical square tricolour without badge in 1798. Originally the colours of the flag of the Cisalpine Republic were arranged horizontally, with green at the top,but on 11 May 1798, the Grand Council of the newborn State chose, as the national banner, an Italian tricolour with the colours arranged vertically.At the formal celebration of the birth in the new republic, which took place on 9 July in Milan, 300,000 people took part, including ordinary citizens, French soldiers and representatives of the major municipalities of the republic.The event was characterised by a riot of tricolour flags and cockades.On this occasion, Napoleon solemnly gave to the military units of the newborn republic, after having reviewed them, their tricolour banners.

The flag of the Cisalpine Republic was maintained until 1802, when it was renamed theNapoleonic Italian Republic(1802–1805), and a new flag was adopted, this time with a red field carrying a green square within a whitelozenge;thepresidential standard of Italyin use since 14 October 2000 was inspired by this flag.

It was during this period that the green, white and red tricolour predominantly penetrated the collective imagination of the Italians, becoming an unequivocalsymbol of Italianness.In less than 20 years, the red, white and green flag had acquired its own peculiarity from a simple flag derived from the French one, becoming very famous and known.

In 1799, the independentRepublic of Luccacame under French influence and horizontally adopted the vertical green, white and red flag, with green at the top; this lasted until 1801. In 1805, Napoleon installed his sister,Elisa BonaparteBaciocchi, as Princess ofLuccaandPiombino.This affair is commemorated in the opening ofLeo Tolstoy'sWar and Peace.

In the same year, after Napoleon had crowned himself as the firstFrench Emperor,the Italian Republic was transformed into the firstNapoleonic Kingdom of Italy(1805–1814), orItalico,under his direct rule. The flag of the Kingdom of Italy was that of the Republic in rectangular form,chargedwith the golden Napoleonic eagle.This remained in use until the fall of Napoleon in 1814.

Italian unification

Main article:Italian unification

The revolutions of the 19th century

TheFive Days of Milan(1848), of which one of the symbols was the tricolour

With the fall of Napoleon and the restoration of theabsolutist monarchical regimes,the Italian tricolour went underground, becoming the symbol of the patriotic ferments that began to spread in Italyand the symbol which united all the efforts of the Italian people towards freedom and independence.In theKingdom of Lombardy–Venetia,a state dependent on theAustrian Empireborn after the fall of Napoleon, those who exhibited the Italian tricolour were subject to thedeath penalty.The Austrians' objective was in fact, quoting the textual words of EmperorFranz Joseph I of Austria:

[The tricolour was banned to] make people forget that they are Italian.

— Franz Joseph I of Austria

Between 1820 and 1861, a sequence of events led to theindependence and unification of Italy(except forVenetoand theprovince of Mantua,Lazio,Trentino-Alto AdigeandJulian March,known asItalia irredenta,which were united with the rest of Italy in 1866 after theThird Italian War of Independence,in 1870 after thecapture of Rome,and in 1918 afterWorld War Irespectively); this period of Italian history is known as theRisorgimento.The Italian tricolour waved for the first time in the history of theRisorgimentoon 11 March 1821 in theCittadella of Alessandria,during therevolutions of the 1820s,after the oblivion caused by the restoration of the absolutist monarchical regimes.

The flag adopted by theKingdom of Piedmont-Sardiniain 1848

The green, white and red flag reappeared during therevolutions of 1830,mainly due toCiro Menotti,the patriot who started the rebellion in Italy.Menotti, in particular, argued that the best form of state for a united Italy was the monarchy with a sovereign chosen by a national congress. The main points of this idea were Rome as the capital of Italy and the tricolour flag as a national banner.On 5 February 1831, during the Forlì uprisings, the patriot Teresa Cattani wrapped herself in the tricolour flag during the assault on the building that was the seat of theLegation of Romagna,challenging the shots of the papal soldiers.

In 1831, the tricolour was chosen byGiuseppe Mazzinias the emblem ofYoung Italy.An original flag of Young Italy is kept at the Museum of the Risorgimento and Mazzinian institute inGenoa.From 1833 to 1834, the symbolism of the tricolour spread more and more along the Italian peninsula,starting from northern and central Italy.Mazzini, regarding the reason why the Italian patriots had participated in the uprisings of 1830–1831, said:

Ask those who ran from one point to another to bring together the various districts, to the flag that flew between those riots. That flag was the Italian flag; those first voices were voices of Fatherland and brotherhood.

— Giuseppe Mazzini

The Italian flag also spread among political exiles, becoming the symbol of the struggle for independence and the claim to have more liberal constitutions.In 1834 the tricolour was adopted by the rioters who tried to invadeSavoy,while the tricolour flag of Young Italy was brought toSouth Americain 1835 byGiuseppe Garibaldiduring his exile.

Tricolour flag donated by the women of Milan to KingCharles Albert of Piedmont-Sardiniaduring theFirst Italian War of Independence(1848–1849). It is displayed at theRoyal Armoury of Turin.

The Italian flag was also waved during the uprisings of 1837 inSicily,of 1841 inAbruzzoand of 1843 inRomagna.In 1844, a tricolour of Young Italy accompanied theBandiera brothersin their failed attempt to raise the population of theKingdom of the Two Sicilies.The patriots following the two brothers wore a uniform consisting of a blue and green shirt, white trousers, red handguards, a red and green collar, a red leather belt and a cap with anItalian tricolour cockadepinned.

Italian tricolours waved, challenging the authorities, who had decreed the ban, also on the occasion of the commemoration of the revolt of the Genoese quarter of Portoria against theHabsburgoccupiers during theWar of the Austrian Succession.During this event, which took place on 10 December 1847 in Genoa at the square of thesantuario della Nostra Signora di Loretoof the Genoese district of Oregina,Il Canto degli ItalianibyGoffredo MameliandMichele Novaroplayed for the first time in history; it would become the Italiannational anthemfrom 1946.Il Canto degli Italiani,in a verse, quotes the Italian flag:

[...] Let one flag, one hope, gather us all. The hour has struck for us to unite. [...]

— Il Canto degli Italiani

These verses, which can be read in the second verse, recall the hope that Italy, still divided into thepre-unification states,would be united in a single nation, gathering under a single flag.Starting from this period thestrawberry treeplant began to be considereda national symbol of Italydue to the green leaves, white flowers and red berries, which recall the colours of the Italian flag.The strawberry tree is thenational treeofItaly.

The green leaves, white flowers and red berries of thestrawberry tree,whose colours recall the flag of Italy: for this reason this bushis considered one of the Italian national symbols.The strawberry tree is thenational treeof Italy.

The Italian flag was a symbol of therevolutions of 1848.In March 1848, theFive Days of Milan,an armedinsurrectionwhich led to the temporary liberation of the city from Austrian rule, were characterised by a profusion of flags and tricolour cockades.On 20 March, during furious fighting, with the Austrians barricaded in theCastello Sforzescoand within the defensive systems of the city walls, the patriots Luigi Torelli and Scipione Bagaggia managed to climb on the roof of theMilan Cathedraland hoist the Italian flag on the highest spire of the church, the one on which theMadonninastands.At the moment of the appearance of the tricolour on the spire of theMadonnina,the crowd below greeted the event with a series of enthusiastic "Hurray!"This historic flag is kept inside theMuseum of the Risorgimento in Milan.The patriot Luciano Manara then managed to hoist the tricolour, amidst the Austrian artillery shots, on the top ofPorta Tosa.The abandonment of the city by the Austrian troops offield marshalJosef Radetzky,on 22 March, determined the immediate establishment of the provisional government of Milan chaired by thepodestàGabrio Casati, who issued a proclamation that read:

Let's get it over with once with any foreign domination in Italy. Embrace this tricolour flag that flies over the country for your valour and swear never to let it tear again.

— Gabrio Casati

The process of transforming the flag of Italy into one of the Italian national symbols was completed, definitively consolidating itself, during the Milanese uprisings.

TheSicilian revolution of 1848,which was characterised by a wide use of the tricolour

The following day KingCharles Albert of Piedmont-Sardiniaassured the provisional government of Milan that his troops, ready to come to his aid by starting theFirst Italian War of Independence,would use a tricolourdefacedwith the Savoyan coat of arms superimposed on the white as a war flag.In his proclamation to the Lombard–Venetian people, Charles Albert said:

"In order to show more clearly with exterior signs the commitment to Italian unification, we want that Our troops... have the Savoy shield placed on the Italian tricolour flag.

— Charles Albert of Piedmont-Sardinia

As the arms,blazonedgules a cross argent,mixed with the white of the flag, it wasfimbriatedazure,blue being thedynasticcolour, although this does not conform to the heraldicrule of tincture.The rectangular civil and state variants were adopted in 1851.

A makeshift tricolour consisting ofredshirts,green displays and a white sheet was hoisted on the flagpole of the ship that broughtGiuseppe Garibaldiback to Italy from South America shortly after the outbreak of the First Italian War of Independence.The patriots who had gathered at theport of Genoato welcome her return gaveAnita Garibaldi,in front of 3,000 people, a tricolour to be given to Giuseppe Garibaldi so that he could plant it on Lombard soil.

TheGrand Duchy of Tuscanyin the act of granting the constitution (17 February 1848) did not change the national banner ( "The State retains its flag and its colours" ) but later granted the Tuscan militias, by decree, the use of a tricolour scarf next to the symbols of the Grand Duchy (25 March 1848).The Grand Duke, following the pressure of the Tuscan patriots, then adopted the tricolour flag also as a state banner and as a military banner for the troops sent to help Charles Albert of Piedmont-Sardinia.Similar measures were adopted by theDuchy of Parma and Piacenzaand by theDuchy of Modena and Reggio.

The proclamation theRepublic of San MarcoinVenice(1848), event that was characterised by a waving of tricolour flags

The flag of the ConstitutionalKingdom of the Two Sicilies,a white field charged with the coats of arms of Castile, Leon, Aragon, Two Sicilies, and Granada, was modified byFerdinand IIthrough the addition of a red and green border. This flag lasted from 3 April 1848 until 19 May 1849. The Provisional Government of Sicily, which lasted from 12 January 1848 to 15 May 1849 during theSicilian Revolution,adopted the Italian tricolour, defaced with the trinacria, ortriskelion.

TheRepublic of San Marco,proclaimed independent in 1848 by theAustrian Empire,also adopted the tricolour.The flags that they adopted marked the link to Italian independence and unification efforts. The former, the Italian tricolour undefaced, and the latter, charged with the winged lion of St. Mark, from the flag of theRepublic of Venice(maritime republicwhich existed from 697ADuntil 1797 AD), on a whitecanton.A chronicler of the time described the final moments of the subsequent capitulation of the Republic of San Marco by the Austrian troops, which took place on 22 August 1849:

The tricolour flags waved above every work, in every danger, and because the enemy balls not only tore up the silk, but broke the stick, it was immediately found who at great risk was going to replace another.

— Chronicler witnessing the last hours of the Republic of San Marco

The tricolour flag of 1848 that greeted the expulsion of the Austrians from Venice is kept in the Museum of the Risorgimento and the Venetian 19th century.

The proclamation of theRoman RepublicinPiazza del Popolo(1848) inRomeamong a profusion of tricolour flags

In 1849, theRoman Republic,formed following the revolt against thePapal Statethat dethroned thePope,adopted as its national banner a green, white and red flag with arepublican Roman eagleat the tip of the pole.This lasted for four months, while the Papal States of the Church was in abeyance.The Roman Republic resisted until 4 July 1849, when it was capitulated by the French Army.The troops from beyond the Alps, as a last act, entered the municipality of Rome where the last members of the republican assembly not yet captured were barricaded. Their secretary Quirico Filopanti surrendered wearing a tricolour scarf.

The tricolour also flew over the barricades of theTen Days of Brescia,a revolt of the citizens of the Lombard city against the Austrian Empire,and in many other centres such asVarese,Gallarate,Como,Melegnano,Cremona,Monza,Udine,Trento,Verona,Rovigo,Vicenza,BellunoandPadua.This spread throughout the Italian peninsula and demonstrated that the tricolour flag had by then assumed a consolidated symbolism valid throughout the national territory.The iconography of the Italian flag then began to spread not only in the vexillological and military fields, but also in some everyday objects such as scarves and clothing fabrics.

This turning point lasted until the failure of revolutions and the end of the First Italian War of Independence (1849), which ended with the defeat of the Piedmont-Sardinian Army of Charles Albert; after this, the ancient flags were restored.Only the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia confirmed the Italian tricolour as the national flag of the state even after the First Italian War of Independence ended.After the defeat in the First Italian War of Independence in 1849, Charles Albert abdicated in favour of his sonVictor Emmanuel II.

From the unification of Italy to the World War I

Kingdom of Italy

Use	State flag,stateandnaval ensign
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	1861 (proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy)
Relinquished	1946 (birth of the Italian Republic)
Design	A verticaltricolourof green, white, and red,defacedwith thearms of Savoyandcrown
Use	Civil flagandensign
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	1861 (proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy)
Relinquished	1946 (birth of the Italian Republic)
Design	A verticaltricolourof green, white, and red,defacedwith thearms of Savoy
Use	War flag
Proportion	1:1
Adopted	1861 (proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy)
Relinquished	1946 (birth of the Italian Republic)
Design	A defaced Italian tricolour

Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-SardiniaandNapoleon III of FranceenteredMilanduring theSecond Italian War of Independence(1859).

On 14 April 1855, before the departure for theCrimean War,the Italian tricolour flags were solemnly entrusted to the soldiers of theSardinian Expeditionary Corps in the Crimean Warby KingVictor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardiniawith the following farewell sentence:

Soldiers! Here are your flags. Generously explained by the magnanimous Charles Albert, they remind you of the distant homeland and eight centuries of noble traditions. Know how to defend them; bring them back crowned with new glory and your sacrifices will be blessed by present and future generations.

— Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia

One of the Italian flags that participated in the Crimean War is kept in theRoyal Armoury of Turin.In 1857, an Italian flag with the pole surmounted by a Phrygian cap and with anarchipendulum,a symbol of social balance, was a symbol of theSapriexpedition, or rather the failed attempt to trigger a revolt in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies perpetrated byCarlo Pisacane.In order not to be captured, Pisacane committed suicide, and was reported to be bandaged with the tricolour flag.

On 10 January 1859, King Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia, in front of the members of parliament, announced the imminent entry into war of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia against theAustrian Empire:

So move confidently in the victory, and with new laurels adorn your flag, that flag with the three colours and with the chosen youth here from every part of Italy agreed and gathered under her, it shows you that you have the independence of Italy, this just and holy enterprise which will be your war cry

— Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia

The departure of theExpedition of the Thousand(1860–1861)

When theSecond Italian War of Independence(1859) broke out, volunteers from all over Italy were enrolled in the Piedmont-Sardinian army.

During the Second Italian War of Independence the cities that were gradually conquered by Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia andNapoleon III of Francegreeted the two sovereigns as liberators in a riot of flags and tricolour cockades; even the centres about to ask for annexation to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia through plebiscites underlined their desire to be part of a united Italy with the waving of the tricolour.The Italian flag waved in Lombardy, annexed following the victory of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in the Second Italian War of Independence, as well as inTuscany,Emilia,MarcheandUmbria,annexed in the following year to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia through plebiscites, but also in cities that would have had to wait some time before being annexed, such asRomeandNaples.

The enthusiasm of the population toward the tricolour grew in addition to the army of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia and the troops of volunteers who participated in the Second Italian War of Independence,the green, white and red flag spread widely available in newly conquered or annexed regions by plebiscites, appearing on house windows, in shop windows and in public places such as hotels and taverns.

The tricolour was also the flag of theUnited Provinces of Central Italy,a short-livedmilitary governmentestablished by theKingdom of Piedmont-Sardiniathat was formed by a union of the formerGrand Duchy of Tuscany,Duchy of Parma,Duchy of Modena,and thePapal Legations,after their monarchs were ousted by popular revolutions.The United Provinces of Central Italy existed from 1859 to 1860, when they were annexed to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.

The royal procession at the opening of theParliament of the Kingdom of Italy(1861) among a profusion of tricolour flags

The tricolour accompanied, although not officially,also the volunteers of theExpedition of the Thousand(1860–1861) led byGiuseppe Garibaldi,whose goal was to conquer theKingdom of the Two Sicilies.Garibaldi, in particular, had an absolute deference and respect for the Italian flag.Shortly after the loss of Sicily, on 25 June 1860, trying to limit the damage given the growing participation of the population in the Expedition of the Thousand, KingFrancis II of the Two Sicilies,decreed that the green, white and red flag was also the official banner of his Kingdom, with theHouse of Bourbon-Two Siciliescoat of arms superimposed on the white.Adopted on 21 June 1860, this lasted until 17 March 1861, when the Two Sicilies was incorporated into theKingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia,after its defeat in the Expedition of the Thousand. Ironically, in the final phase of the Expedition of the Thousand, the tricolour of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies fluttered in antagonism to the tricolour flag of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.Two of the original tricolours that flew on theLombardosteamshipthat participated, together withPiedmont,in the Expedition of the Thousand, are preserved, respectively, inside theCentral Museum of the Risorgimento at the Vittorianoin Romeand the Museum of the Risorgimento inPalermo.

Animated map of theItalian unificationfrom 1829 to 1871

On 17 March 1861, there was theproclamation of the Kingdom of Italy,a formal act that sanctioned, with a normative act of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, the birth of the unified Kingdom of Italy.On 15 April 1861, the flag of theKingdom of Piedmont-Sardiniawas declared the flag of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.The tricolour therefore continued to be the national flag also of the new State, although not officially recognised by a specific law,but regulated with regard to the shape of military banners.This Italian tricolour, with the armorial bearings of the former RoyalHouse of Savoy,was the first national flag and lasted in that form for 85 years until thebirth of the Italian Republicin 1946.

KingVictor Emmanuel II of ItalyenteringVeniceduring theThird Italian War of Independence(1866) among a profusion of tricolour flags

Thetricolorehad a universal, transversal meaning, shared by bothmonarchistsandrepublicans,progressivesandconservativesandGuelphs as well as by the Ghibellines.The tricolour was chosen as the flag of a united Italy also for this reason.After the Unification of Italy, the use of the tricolour became increasingly widespread among the populationas the flag and its colours began to appear on the labels of commercial products, school notebooks, the first cars and cigar packages.Even among the aristocrats it was successful; the most important families often had a flag bearer installed on the main façade of their mansions where they placed the Italian tricolour.It then began to appear outside public buildings, schools, judicial offices and post offices.During this period, tricolour bands were introduced for mayors and the jurors of the assize court during this period.

Following theThird Italian War of Independencein 1866,VenetoandFriuliwere annexed to the Kingdom of Italy; the entry of theItalian Armytroops intoVenice,which took place on 19 October 1866, was greeted by a profusion of tricolour flags.Since the promulgation of a resolution of its municipal council, dated 5 November 1866,Vicenzais the only city in Italy to have adopted the tricolour flag as its owngonfalon,instead of the civic banner, loaded with the coat of arms of the municipality.The Venetian city decided to patriotically change the nature of its sign shortly before the visit of King Victor Emmanuel II, who arrived in the city for the awarding of theGold Medal of Military Valourearned by the Venetian municipality with thebattle of Monte Berico,fought on 10 June 1848 in the outskirts of the city. The occasion of the Sovereign's visit, Vicenza presented Victor Emmanuel II not with his own banner but, a decision from which his subsequent resolution was to originate, the Italian tricolour.

A moment of the fighting that led to theconquest of Rome by the Italian Army(1870)

During thebattle of Custoza(24 June 1866), part of the Third Italian War of Independence, near Oliosi, today part of the municipality ofCastelnuovo del Garda,the soldiers of the 44thregimentof the "Forlì"brigadesaved the tricolour war flag from the capture of theAustro-Hungarian Army.In order not to hand over their military banner to the enemy, they tore the drape of the tricolour flag into 13 pieces, divided among those present, and hid those shreds of cloth under the jacket. After the war it was possible to recover 11 of the 13 portions of the cloth and thus reconstruct the flag, namedTricolore di Oliosi.Every year, on the third Sunday in June, the remembrance of the war episode is celebrated in Oliosi.At themilitary parade on 2 June 2011,held invia dei Fori Imperialiin Rome on the occasion of the celebrations for the 150thanniversary of the unification of Italy,theTricolore di Oliosiwas paraded on acannoncarriagealong with five other historic Italian flags.

Massimo d'Azeglio was among the first to recognize the importance of the tricolour flag as a tool for forming a widespread national awareness.In this regard he declared:"The flag is a privileged symbol in the pedagogy of a nation". Tricolour flags then greeted the Italian Army during the march toward Rome, which ended with thecapture of Romeon 20 September 1870, and the annexation ofLazioto the Kingdom of Italy.Rome officially became the capital of Italy on 1 January 1871, while the establishment of the royal court and the Savoy government took place on 6 July of the same year. From this date, the Italian flag flies from the highest flagpole of theQuirinal Palace.

Postcard of theCarabinierisent from theItalian Eritreain 1907 and depicting an eagle flying an Italian flag

The firstItalian colonywas founded in 1882, theAssabbay, which became the first outpost of the futureItalian Eritrea,where the flag of Italy waved in an Italian colony for the first time.Subsequently, the tricolour also waved in theItalian Somaliland,in theItalian Libya,in theItalian concession of Tientsinand in theItalian Islands of the Aegean.

In 1897, the Italian flag had its 100th anniversary. The centennial celebration inReggio Emilia,where the tricolour was created on 7 January 100 years earlier,Giosuè Carducci,who later became the first Italian to win theNobel Prize in Literaturein 1906,defined the flag as "blessed" and kissed it at the end of the speech.

Italian Argentinesduring the openingparadeof the XXXIVImmigrant's Festival

Around 1880 began large waves ofItalian diaspora,especially towards the Americans. The tricolour, often carried in the suitcases of migrants, began to wave outside the national borders, especially in theLittle Italiesthat were forming around the world.This bond with the land of origin did not fade with the passing of generations—often still alive in the third or fourth generation.Several years earlier in 1861,U.S. presidentAbraham Lincolnreviewed some military units that were participating in theAmerican Civil War—among them was aGaribaldi Guard,made up of Italian immigrants, which had as its military banner the tricolour flag.

In 1885, the tricolour jersey was introduced for the cyclist who won the title of champion of Italy.Conceptually, this recognition is similar to the placement of a tricolour shield, thescudetto,on the jerseys of the team champion of Italy infootball,rugby,volleyballandbasketball.The idea of affixing ascudettoon the shirts of the winning sports teams of the respective national championships wasGabriele D'Annunzio.In football, the first sport to use it, it was introduced in 1924.

In 1889, in the culinary field, thepizza Margheritawas invented, named in honour of QueenMargherita of Savoy,whose main ingredients recall the tricolour flag. Green for thebasil,white for themozzarellaand red for thetomato sauce.With the firsttrade unionstruggles at the end of the 19th century, the Italian flag began to wave in the hands of the demonstrators duringstrikes.Even during the struggles perpetrated by theFasci Sicilianibetween 1892 and 1894 there was a profusion of Italian flag.They were contrasted by the tricolours of the police sent by the government to quell the trade union revolts.On 25 April 1900, the Italian flag flew in theFranz Josef Land,an archipelago located north of theRussian Empirebetween theArctic Oceanand theKara Sea,an expedition organized in thearctic areasled by explorerUmberto Cagni.

On 29 July 1900, KingUmberto I of Italy,who succeeded his father Victor Emmanuel II in 1878, was assassinated inMonzaat a public ceremony with the streets flagged with tricolours.The king was shot four times by theItalian-AmericananarchistGaetano Bresci.Bresci claimed he wanted to avenge the people killed in Milan during the suppression of theriots of May 1898.Umberto I was succeeded by his sonVictor Emmanuel III of Italy.

The two world wars and the interwar period

Italian flag dating fromWorld War I

Italy enteredWorld War Iin 1915 with the aim of completing national unity, and for this reason, the Italian intervention in World War I is also considered theFourth Italian War of Independencein a historiographical perspective that identifies in the latter the conclusion of theunification of Italy,whose military actions began during therevolutions of 1848with theFirst Italian War of Independence.KingVictor Emmanuel III of Italy,the day the Kingdom of Italy entered the war, appeared from the balcony of the Quirinal Palace while waving the tricolour shouting "Long live Italy".Victor Emmanuel III then made an official proclamation shortly before leaving for theItalian war front,which read, in its final part:

Soldiers of land and sea! [...] To us the glory of planting the tricolour of Italy on the sacred boundary that nature placed on the borders of our homeland, to us the glory of finally completing the work with so much heroism begun by our fathers.

— Victor Emmanuel III of Italy

The tricolour flag was a symbol in both the trenches and in the civil sphere.The colours green, white and red were widely used as a stimulus to the general mobilization and moral sustenance of the civilian population, which was climbing a path that would have led to a very difficult situation, characterized by many deprivations.In the trenches, the tricolour was a fundamental symbol to spur the soldiers, while on the home front it was important for compacting and strengthening civil society.

A woman,representing Italy,celebrates the Italian victory overAustria-Hungaryin World War I with a tricolour over the newly conquered city ofTrieste.

During theflight over Vienna,on 9 August 1918 aerial flyerGabriele D'Annunziolaunched the tricolour leaflet over Vienna with which he exhorted the enemy to surrender and end the war.The Italian troops then enteredTriestein November 1918 following the victory in thebattle of Vittorio Veneto,which ended the conflict with the retreat and the definitive defeat of the Austrians. The War Bulletin No. 1267 of 3 November 1918 by GeneralArmando Diazannounced theBollettino della Vittoriaand theBollettino della Vittoria Navaleby few days, read:

Our troops have occupiedTrentoand landed in Trieste. The tricolour flies over theBuonconsiglio Castleand theSan Giusto tower.

— Armando Diaz

After World War I, the Italian flag was also a symbol of theImpresa di Fiume,led by D'Annunzio, and a consequence of the so-called "mutilated victory",a term used to describe the dissatisfaction concerning territorial rewards in favour of Italy at the end of World War I, shouted:" raise the flag: wave the tricolour! "During theItalian Regency of Carnaro(1919–1920), a state entity that administered the city ofFiume,now part of modern-dayCroatia,D'Annunzio defined the Italian flag "the garment of the eternal nation" and urged the Italians to rebel against those responsible for thedefeat of Caporettoby waving the "tricolour across the sky".

In particular, Italy, as a peace agreement at the conclusion of World War I, signed theTreaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye(1919) and theTreaty of Rapallo(1920), which allowed the annexation ofTrentino Alto-Adige,Julian March,Istria,Kvarner,with the cities ofTrieste,Trento,Gorizia,Pola,as well as theDalmatiancity ofZara.The subsequentTreaty of Rome(1924) led to the annexation of the city of Fiume to Italy.

The coffin of theItalian Unknown Soldierwas placed on thegun carriageof acannonand wrapped in a tricolour flag during its journey from theBasilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileiato theAltare della Patriain Rome, which took place in 1921 on arailway hearse.This historic flag is kept inside theCentral Museum of the Risorgimento at the Vittorianoin Rome.

The War flag of theItalian Social Republic(1943–1945)

With theMarch on Romein 1922, and the establishment of thefascist dictatorship,the Italian flag lost its symbolic uniqueness partly obscured by the iconography of the regime.When it was used, as the symbol of theNational Fascist Party,its history was distorted, given that the tricolour was born as a symbol of freedom andcivil rights.Despite this supporting role, with the royal decree nº 2072 of 24 September 1923 and subsequently with the law nº2264 of 24 December 1925, the tricolour officially became the national flag of the Kingdom of Italy.On 31 January 1923, the salute to the flag by the students of Italian schools was instituted by theMinistry of Public Educationwhereby every Saturday morning, at the end of the lesson, the students paid homage to the flag with theRoman saluteand with the performance of patriotic musical pieces.

In 1926, the Fascist regime attempted to have the Italian national flag redesigned by having thefasces,the symbol used by the Fascist movement, included on the flag.However, this attempt by the Fascist government to change the Italian flag to incorporate the fasces was stopped by strong opposition to the proposal by Italian monarchists.Afterwards, the Fascist government raised the national tricolour flag along with a Fascist black flag in public ceremonies.

Flag of theNational Liberation Committee(1943–1945)

In 1926, an Italian flag was first brought to theNorth Poleby theNorge airshipduring the expedition led byUmberto NobileandRoald Amundsen;the tricolours then greetedItalo Balboin his oceanicseaplanecrossings.

TheAzione Cattolica,which made the Italian flag its banner in 1931, grouped the children of its organization dedicated to children into three categories, which were based on age group and colours of the Italian flag: "green flames", "white flames" and "red flames".In August 1933, the Italianocean linerSS Rex,which had just won theBlue Riband,arrived inNew York Citysetting the record for Atlantic Ocean crossing in the shortest time (four days) was greeted by the waving of tricolour flags.

Trains covered with tricolour flags carried the settlers to the new cities founded after the reclamation of thePontine Marshes,while on 5 May 1936 there was the solemn flag-raising inAddis Ababa,Italian Ethiopia,which greeted the founding of theItalian Empire.The flag in Addis Ababa was then lowered in November 1941 at the end of theEast African campaign,which was fought duringWorld War II.

Il Canto degli ItalianiandGoffredo Mameliremembered together with the period of theunification of Italyon a propaganda poster of the Italian Social Republic. In the background, a tricolour is waving.

Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940 with the speech byBenito Mussolinidelivered from the main balcony ofPalazzo Veneziain Rome; the climate, however, was very different from that which characterized Italy's entry into World War I.The king did not appear on the balcony of the Quirinal Palace waving the flag as he did in 1915.

During World War II, the Italian flag came back strongly after theArmistice of Cassibileof 8 September 1943, where it was taken as a symbol by the two sides who faced each other in theItalian Civil Warin an attempt to recall the unification of Italy and its cultural tradition.In particular, it was used by thepartisansas a symbol of the struggle against tyrants and emblem of the dream of a free Italy.Even thecommunistpartisan brigades,which had thered flagas the official banner, often waved the Italian flag.

Tricolour flags were also the official banners of theItalian Partisan Republicsand of theNational Liberation Committee,as well as their antagonists, the Republicansin an attempt to recall the period of theunification of Italyand its cultural background.The national flag of the short-lived Fascist state innorthern Italy,theItalian Social Republic(1943–1945), or "Republic of Salò" as it was commonly known, was identical to the flag of the modernItalian Republic,as both republics used the previous flag of theKingdom of Italywith the coat of arms ofSavoyremoved.

This flag was somewhat rarely seen, however, while the war flag, charged with a silver/black eagle clutching horizontally placedfascio littorio(literally, bundles of thelictors), was very common in propaganda.Italian fascism derived its name from the fasces, which symbolisedimperium,or power and authority, inancient Rome.Roman legions had carried theaquila,or eagle, assigna militaria.

The Italian tricolour was also used for propaganda. The Italian Social Republic, for example, used it on a poster depictingGoffredo Mameli,the author of the lyrics ofIl Canto degli Italiani,thenational anthemof Italy from 1946, with an unsheathed sword and a tricolour behind him while he launches towards an assault.This poster bears the words "Brothers of Italy / Italy has woken!" and "1849–1944 The spirit of Goffredo Mameli/Defend the Social Republic".

Flag of the Italian ethnic minority in Yugoslavia

On 25 April 1945, the government of Mussolini fell. This event is commemorated byLiberation Day.With the liberation, the tricolour appeared in public places such as the towers of town halls, on bell towers of churches, and in factories.Remembering these events,Francesco Cossiga,at the timepresident of the Senate of the Republic,in a speech delivered on 28 June 1984, said:

With the tricolour of Italy the homeland was resurrected and republican democracy was established, which today peacefully unites all Italians.

— Francesco Cossiga

In the eastern Italian territories occupied by the Yugoslav partisan militias, the Italian flag was used with a red star in the centre as a model of the flag used by the partisanGaribaldi Brigadesinitially in the city ofFiumein 1943, then extended to all the territories where the Italian ethnic minority (Istrian ItaliansandDalmatian Italians) resided. Having enteredYugoslavia,this flag remained official until 1992, when it was officially replaced by the flag adopted by the Italian state.

Following the defeat of Italy in World War II and theParis Treaties of 1947,Istria,Kvarnerand most ofJulian March,with the cities of Pola, Fiume and Zara, passed to Yugoslavia, and after the latter's dissolution, to Croatia, causing theIstrian-Dalmatian exoduswhich led to the emigration of between 230,000 and 350,000 of local ethnicItalians(Istrian ItaliansandDalmatian Italians), the others being ethnic Slovenians, ethnic Croatians, and ethnicIstro-Romanians,choosing to maintain Italian citizenship.After World War II, Gorizia was divided in two: one part remained with Italy while the other, which was renamed "Nova Gorica",passed first to Yugoslavia and then toSlovenia.

Italian Republic

The flag ofItalian Republic

On 13 June 1946, theItalian Republic was officially foundedand the lastking of ItalyUmberto II,who succeeded his father Victor Emmanuel III on 9 May 1946, left the country on 13 June into exile. On the same day, the tricolour with the Savoy coat of arms in the centre was lowered from the Quirinal Palace.The Italian flag was modified with the decree of the president of the Council of Ministers No. 1 of 19 June 1946. Compared to the monarchic banner, the Savoy coat of arms was eliminated.This decision was later confirmed in the session of 24 March 1947 by theConstituent Assembly,which decreed the insertion of article 12 of theItalian Constitution,subsequently ratified by theItalian Parliament,which states:

[...] The flag of the Republic is the Italian tricolour: green, white, and red, in three vertical bands of equal dimensions. [...]

— Article 12 of Constitution of Italian Republic

The members of the Constituent Assembly were deeply moved when they approved this article, and as a sign of joy and respect, stood up and applauded at length shortly after the approval.Shortly before the officialisation of the flag in the constitution, on 7 January 1947, the tricolour turned 150.The role of master of ceremonies that belonged toGiosuè Carducci50 years earlier was assumed byLuigi Salvatorelli,whose speech, uttered during the Reggio Emilia official celebrations in the presence ofEnrico De Nicola,Provisional Head of State, alluded to the delicate phase that post-war Italy was going throughwith particular reference to the humiliations suffered by the country in World War II:

This Italian flag entered theGuinness World Recordsdue to its length.

The tricolour is not lowered, it will not be lowered. It was re-blessed, rededicated by the insurrection of the patriots, by the blood of the partisans and soldiers of Italy fighting against Nazi-fascism in the new liberation struggle.

— Luigi Salvatorelli

The Republican tricolour was then officially and solemnly delivered to the Italian military corps on 4 November 1947 on the occasion ofNational Unity and Armed Forces Day.The universally adopted ratio is 2:3, while the war flag is squared (1:1). Eachcomunealso has agonfalonebearing its coat of arms. On 27 May 1949, a law was passed that described and regulated the way the flag was displayed outside public buildings and during national holidays.

During the republican era, the tricolour greeted important events in Italian history. The flag was hoisted at the top ofK2during theItalian expedition in 1954that ledAchille CompagnoniandLino Lacedellito be the first people to reach the summit of this mountain—the second highest in the world afterMount Everest,and was brought in 2011 to theInternational Space Stationby astronautRoberto Vittorion the occasion of the 150thanniversary of the unification of Italy.A profusion of Italian flags greeted the return of Trieste to Italy in 1954, which took place following the agreements signed between the governments of Italy, theUnited Kingdom,theUnited Statesand Yugoslavia concerning the status of theFree Territory of Trieste,an independent territory situated between northern Italy and Yugoslavia. The territory, under thedirect responsibilityof theUnited Nations Security Councilin the aftermath of World War II, established on 10 February 1947 by a protocol of theTreaty of Peace with Italy.

The Italiannaval ensigncomprises the national flag defaced with the arms of theItalian Navy;themercantile marine(and private citizens at sea) use the civil ensign, differenced by the absence of themural crownand the lion holding open the gospel, bearing the inscription,PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEVSinstead of a sword.The shield is quartered, symbolic of the four greatthalassocraciesof Italy, therepubbliche marinareofVenice(represented by the lionpassant,top left),Genoa(top right),Amalfi(bottom left), andPisa(represented by their respective crosses); therostratacrown was proposed byAdmiral Cavagnariin 1939 to acknowledge the Navy's origins in ancient Rome.

The tricolour flag was the official banner of theItalian Trust Administration of Somalia(1950–1960), which was granted on aUN mandate,and which was the firstpeacekeepingmission of theItalian Army.The tricolour continues to represent Italy in all peacekeeping missions in which the Italian Armed Forces participate.

The former president of the Italian Republic,Carlo Azeglio Ciampi,honors the flag ofCispadane Republic,first Italian flag, during theTricolour Dayon 7 January 2004 in Reggio Emilia.

In 1997, on its bicentenary, 7 January was declaredTricolour Day;it is intended as a celebration, though not a public holiday.On 31 December 1996, with the same law that established the Tricolour Day, a celebration held on 7 January of each year in memory of the adoption of the red, white and green flag by the Cispadane Republic (7 January 1797), established a national committee of 20 members that would have the objective of organising the first solemn commemoration of the birth of the Italian flag.

Among the events celebrating the bicentenary of the Italian flag, was the longest tricolour in history, which also entered theGuinness World Recordsat 7,536 square metres (81,120 sq ft) long, 4.8 metres (16 ft) wide and had an area of 7,536 square metres (81,120 sq ft), and paraded in Rome from theColosseumto theCapitoline Hill.

During the celebrations for the 140 years of national unity, on 4 November 2001, inSan Martino della Battaglia,during theNational Unity and Armed Forces Day,in reference to the tricolour, the former president of the Italian Republic,Carlo Azeglio Ciampi,said:

Let us work to ensure that every family, in every home, there is a tricolour to testify the feelings that have united us since the days of the glorious unification of Italy. The tricolour is not a simple state sign, it is a banner of freedom conquered by a people who recognize themselves as united, who find their identity in the principles of brotherhood, equality, justice. In the values of its own history and civilization.

— Carlo Azeglio Ciampi

In 2003, a state ensign was created specifically for non-military vessels engaged in non-commercial government service whereby the Italian tricolour is defaced with thenational coat of arms.Since 1914, theItalian Air Forcehave also used aroundel of concentric rings in the colours of the tricolouras aircraft marking, substituted, from 1923 to 1943, by encircled fasces. TheFrecce Tricolori,officially known as the 313º Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, is its aerobatic demonstration team.

The law n. 222 of 23 November 2012, concerning "Rules on the acquisition of knowledge and skills in the field of" Citizenship and Constitution "and on the teaching of the Mameli hymn in schools", prescribes the study in schools of the Italian flag and othernational symbols of Italy.

Historical evolution of the flag

Main article:List of Italian flags

• 
  Flag of theCispadane Republic(1797)
• 
  Flag of theCisalpine Republic(1797–1798)
• 
  Flag of the Cisalpine Republic (1798–1802)
• 
  Flag of theItalian Republic(1802–1805)
• 
  Flag of theKingdom of Italy(1805–1814)
• 
  Flag of theItalian United Provinces(1831)
• 
  Flag of theKingdom of the Two Sicilies(1848–1849)
• 
  Flag of theRepublic of San Marco(1848–1849)
• 
  Flag of theKingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia(1848–1851)
• 
  Flag of theKingdom of Sicily(1848–1849)
• 
  Flag of theGrand Duchy of Tuscany(1848–1849)
• 
  Flag of theRoman Republic(1849)
• 
  War flagof theRoman Republic(1849)
• 
  Flag of theFree Cities of Menton and Roquebrune(1848–1849)
• 
  Flag of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia (1851–1861)
• 
  Flag of theUnited Provinces of Central Italy(1859–1860)
• 
  Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1860–1861)
• 
  State flag of theKingdom of Italy(1861–1946)
• 
  Civil flag of theKingdom of Italy.National and merchant flag in the period (1861–1946)
• 
  Flag of theColonna Italiana(1936–1945)
• 
  Flag of theItalian Social Republic(1943–1945)
• 
  Flag of theNational Republican Army(1 December 1943 to 7 May 1945)
• 
  War flag of the Italian Social Republic (28 January 1944 to 7 May 1945)
• 
  Flag of theNational Liberation Committee(1943–1945)
• 
  Flag of theBrigate Garibaldi(1943–1945)
• 
  Flag of the Italian ethnic minority (Istrian ItaliansandDalmatian Italians) inYugoslavia(1945–1992)
• 
  Flag of theTrust Territory of Somaliland(1950–1960)
• 
  Flag ofItalians of Croatia(1992–present)
• 
  Flag of theItalian Republic(1946–2003)
• 
  Flag of theItalian Republic(2003–2006)
• 
  Flag of theItalian Republic(2006–present)

Description

Colours

One of three original copies ofConstitution of the Italian Republic,now in the custody of Historical Archives of thepresident of the Italian Republic

The colours of the Italian flag are indicated in article 12of theConstitution of the Italian Republic,published in theGazzetta UfficialeNo. 298, extraordinary edition, of 27 December 1947, and came into force on 1 January 1948:

• green;
• white;
• red.

If the flag is exposed horizontally, the green part should be placed at the hoist side, with the white one in a central position and the red one outside, while if the banner is exposed vertically the green section should be placed above.

Chromatic definition

The Italian flag, using the 2003 to 2006 colours

The Italian flag, using the 2006 colours

The need to precisely define the colours was born from an event that happened at theJustus Lipsius building,seat of theCouncil of the European Union,of theEuropean Counciland of theirSecretariat,when an ItalianMEP,in 2002, noticed that the colours of the Italian flag were unrecognizable with red, for example, which had a shade that turned towards orange. For this reason the government, following the report of this MEP, decided to specifically define the colours of the Italiannational flag.

The shades of green, white and red were first specified by these official documents:

• circulaireof theUndersecretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministersof 18 September 2002;
• circulaire by the State Secretary for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of 17 January 2003;
  • green:Pantonetessile 18-5642TC(Golf Green), called in the text "bright green grass";
  • white:Pantonetessile 11-4201TC(Cloud Dancer), called in the text "milky white";
  • red:Pantonetessile 18-1660TC(Tomato), called in the text "red tomato".

New documents then replaced the previous ones:

• circulaire of thePresidency of the Council of MinistersNo. EU 3.3.1 / 14545/1 of 2 June 2004;
• decreeof the President of the Council of Ministers of 14 April 2006, "General provisions relating to ceremonial and precedence among public offices"
  • green:Pantonetessile 17-6153 TCX(Fern Green);
  • white:Pantonetessile 11-0601 TCX(Bright White);
  • red:Pantonetessile 18-1662 TCX(Scarlet Red).

The chromatic tones of the three colours, onpolyesterstamina,are enshrined in paragraph 1 of article n. 31 "Colour definition of the colours of the flag of the Republic", of Section V "Flag of Republic, National Anthem, National Feasts and State Funeral", of Chapter II "General provisions relating to ceremonial", of the annex "Presidency of the Council of Ministers – State Ceremonial Department", to the decree of the president of the Council of Ministers of 14 April 2006 "General provisions on ceremonial and precedence between public offices", published in theGazzetta UfficialeNo. 174 of 28 July 2006.

Description		Number	RGB	CMYK	HSV	Hex
	Fern GreenArchived23 September 2019 at theWayback Machine	17-6153 TC	(0, 140, 69)	(100%, 0%, 51%, 45%)	(150°, 100%, 55%)	#008C45
	Bright WhiteArchived23 September 2019 at theWayback Machine	11-0601 TC	(244, 245, 240)	(0%, 0%, 2%, 4%)	(72°, 2%, 96%)	#F4F5F0
	Flame ScarletArchived23 September 2019 at theWayback Machine	18-1662 TC	(205, 33, 42)	(0%, 84%, 80%, 20%)	(357°, 84%, 80%)	#CD212A

Other official flags

Presidential and other standards

Further information:Presidential standard of Italy

Standard of thePresident of the Italian Republic,modified in 2000

Thepresident of the Italian Republichas an official standard. The current version is based on the square flag of theNapoleonic Italian Republic,on a field of blue, charged with theemblem of Italyin gold.The square shape with aSavoy blueborder symbolise the fourItalian Armed Forces,namely theItalian Air Force,theCarabinieri,theItalian Armyand theItalian Navy,of which the president is the commander.

The first version of the standard, adopted in 1965 and used until 1990 was very similar to the current version only without the red, white and green. The emblem was also much larger.This version of the standard was replaced in 1990 by then PresidentFrancesco Cossiga.Cossiga's new version of the standard contained the same royal blue background but now with a squared Italian national flag in the centre and no emblem.This version was short lived however as only two years later it was replaced by the 1965 standard, only with a smaller emblem.This version lasted until 2000 from when it was replaced by the current version.

After the Republic was proclaimed, thenational flagwas provisionally adopted as the head of state in place of the royal standard.On the initiative of theMinistry of Defence,a project was prepared in 1965 to adopt a distinct flag.Opportunity suggested the most natural solution was the Italian tricolour defaced with the coat of arms; however, under conditions of poor visibility, this could easily be mistaken for the standard of the president of Mexico, which is also that country's national flag. The standard is kept in the custody of the Commander of the ReggimentoCorazzieriof the Arma dei Carabinieri, along with the war flag (assigned to Regiment in 1878).

The Italian Constitution does not make provision for a vice-president. However, separate insignia for the president of the Senate, in exercise of duties as acting head of state under Article 86, was created in 1986.This has a white square on the blue field, charged with the arms of the Republic in silver. Distinguishing insignia for former presidents of the Republic was created in 2001;a tricolour in the style of the presidential standard, it is emblazoned with theCypherof Honour of the president of the Republic.

The standard ofpresident of the Council of Ministers of Italy,introduced for the first time in 1927 byBenito Mussolini,in its first form a littorio beam appeared in the middle of the drape. The sign was abolished in 1943, while the current one was defined in 2008 bySilvio Berlusconi.It consists of a blue drapery bordered by two gold-colored borders in the center of which stands the emblem of the Republic. The banner should be exposed to every official engagement of the president and on the vehicles that carry it, however it is almost never used. The main colours are blue and gold, which have always been considered colours linked to the command.

• 
  Standard of a substitutepresident of the Italian Republic
• 
  Standard of a presidentemeritusof the Italian Republic
• 
  Standard of thepresident of the Council of Ministers of Italy

Naval insignia

The naval ensigns are defaced to distinguish themselves from theflag of Mexico:

• the naval ensign bears the arms of the Navy: ashield,surmounted by aturretedandrostrum crown,which brings together in four parts the arms of four ancientmaritime republics:Republic of Venice(where theLion of Saint Markcarries the sword),Republic of Genoa,Republic of PisaandRepublic of Amalfi;
• the civil ensign bears a coat of arms identical to that of the Navy, but without a crown and in which the lion ofSaint Markcarries the book;
• the government ensign, adopted in 2003, bears theemblem of the Italian Republic.

• 
  Jack of the (former)Regia Marina
• 
  Italian civil ensign
• 
  Italian government ensign
• 
  Italian naval ensign
• 
  Italian naval jack (recto)

Protocol

Obligation to exhibit

The Italian flag flying at theAltare della Patria,Piazza Venezia,Rome

The Italian flag flying on the top of theQuirinal Palace.From left to right, thepresidential standard of Italy,the tricolour and the flag of the European Union.

From above, clockwise, image showing how to fold the Italian flag correctly

The law, implementing Article 12 of theConstitutionand following of Italy's membership of theEuropean Union,lays down the general provisions governing the use and display of the flag of the Italian Republic and theflag of European Union(in its territory).In particular, in public buildings the flag of the Italian Republic, the flag of the European Union and the portrait of thepresident of the Italian Republicmust be displayed in the offices of the most important Italian institutional offices.

The flag of Italy must also be displayed outside allschools of all levels,outside university complexes, outside the buildings that host the voting operations, outside the prefectures, police headquarters,palaces of justiceand outside the central post offices.The flag of Italy must also be displayed on all public offices on theTricolour Day(7 January), the Anniversary of theLateran Treaty(11 February), theAnniversary of the Liberation(25 April), theLabour Day(1 May), theEurope Day(9 May), theFeast of the Italian Republic(2 June), the commemoration of theFour days of Naples(28 September), the feast of the patron saint of Italy (Francis of Assisi,4 October),United Nations Day(24 October; here the tricolour must fly together with theflag of the United Nations) andNational Unity and Armed Forces Day(4 November).

When displayed alongside other flags, the flag of Italy takes the position of honour; it is raised first and lowered last. Othernational flagsshould be arranged in alphabetical order. Where two (or more than three) flags appear together, the national flag should be placed to the right (left of the observer); in a display of three flags in line, the national flag occupies the central position. The European flag is also flown from government buildings on a daily basis. In the presence of a foreign visitor belonging to a member state, this takes precedence over the Italian flag. As a sign of mourning, flags flown externally shall be lowered tohalf-mast;two black ribbons may be attached to those otherwise displayed.

Exposure mode

The tricolour flags displayed must always be in excellent condition, fully extended and must never touch water or land.In no case can figures and writings be written or printed on the cloth.Furthermore, the Italian flag can never be used as a simple drapery or as a fabric in common use (e.g. to cover tables or as curtains).

In the event ofpublic mourningthe banner can be raised at half-mast and two strips of blackvelvetcan be affixed to the cloth; the latter are instead mandatorywhen the tricolour participates in funeral ceremonies.In public ceremonies, the tricolour must always parade first.

Flag-folding

There is a precise way to fold the tricolour correctly, by taking into account the three verticalbandsof which the banner is composed.

The flag must be folded according to the boundaries of the colour bands: first the red band and then the green band must be folded over the white one in order to leave only the latter two colours visible; only subsequently should it be folded further in order to completely cover the red and white with green—the only colour that must be visible at the time of the closure of the cloth.

Legal protection

Article 292 of the Italian Penal Code ( "Insult or damage to the flag or other emblem of the State" ) protects the Italian flag by providing for thecrime of insulting it,or other banners bearing the national colours, thus providing:

Anyone who vilifies the national flag or another emblem of the State with insulting expressions is punished with a fine ranging from €1,000 to €5,000. The penalty is increased from €5,000 to €10,000 if the same act is committed in occasion of a public occasion or an official ceremony.

Anyone who publicly and intentionally destroys, disperses, deteriorates, renders useless or smears the national flag or another emblem of the state is punished with imprisonment for up to two years.

For the purposes of criminal law, the national flag means the official flag of the state and any other flag bearing the national colours.

— Art. 292 of the Italian penal code

Flag-raising

Flag waving at an Italianwar graveinMunich,Germany

The flag-raising of the tricolour takes place at the first light of dawn, with the flag which is made to slide quickly and resolutely up to the end of the flagpole.In the military sphere, it is announced by trumpet blasts and is performed on the notes of the national anthem.

The flagship, which takes place in the evening, is instead slower and more solemn so as not to make it seem a rapid lowering.The tricolour can be exposed also during the night only if the place where it is flying is conveniently illuminated.

In the presence of other flags, as well as receiving the most important honour position, it must be hoisted first and lowered last.

Meaning of colours

Further information:National colours of Italy

TheFrecce Tricolori,withgreen, white, and redsmoke trails, above theAltare della PatriainRome

As the similarity suggests, the Italian tricolour derives from theflag of France,which was born during the French Revolution from the union of white – the colour of the monarchy – with red and blue – thecolours of Paris,and which became the symbol of social and political renewal perpetrated by the originalJacobinism.

Green, the first Italian tricolour cockades, symbolisednatural rights,namelysocial equalityandfreedom.After various events it came to 7 January 1797, the date of the adoption of the tricolour flag by theCispadane Republic,the first Italian sovereign state to make use of it.During the Napoleonic period, the three colours acquired a more idealistic meaning for the population: the green representshope,the white representsfaithand the red representslove.

Other less probable conjectures that explain the adoption of the green hypothesise a tribute that Napoleon wanted to give toCorsica,where he was born, or to a possible reference to the verdant Italian landscape.For the adoption of greenery there is also the so-called "Masonic hypothesis": even forFreemasonry,green was the colour of nature, a symbol ofhuman rights,which are naturally inherent in the human being,as much as of the florid Italian landscape. This interpretation, however, is opposed by those who maintain that Freemasonry, as a secret society, did not have such an influence at the time that inspired Italian national colours.

Another hypothesis that attempts to explain the meaning of the three Italian national colours would, without historical bases, be that the green is linked to the colour of the meadows and theMediterranean maquis,the white to that of the snows of theAlpsand the red to the blood spilt in theWars of Italian Independence and Unification.

A more religious and philosophical interpretation is that green representshope,white representsfaith,and red representscharity(love), in reference to thethree theological virtues.

Tricolour Day

Main article:Tricolour Day

Thepresident of Italy,Sergio Mattarella,during his entry into theSala del Tricoloreon the occasion of theTricolour Dayon 7 January 2017

To commemorate the birth of the Italian flag, theTricolour Daywas established on 31 December 1996, which is known in Italian as theFesta del Tricolore.It is celebrated every year on 7 January, with the official celebrations being organised inReggio nell'Emilia,the city where the first official adoption of the tricolour was declared as anational flagby an Italian sovereign state, theCispadane Republic,which took place on 7 January 1797.

In Reggio nell'Emilia, the Festa del Tricolore is celebrated in Piazza Prampolini, in front of the town hall, in the presence of one of thehighest offices of the Italian Republic(thepresident of the Italian Republicor thepresident of one of the chambers), who attends the flag-raising on the notes ofIl Canto degli Italianiand which renders military honours a reproduction of the flag of the Cispadane Republic.

In Rome, at theQuirinal Palace,the ceremonial foresees instead the change of theGuard of honourin solemn form with the deployment and the parade of theCorazzieri Regimentin gala uniform and the Fanfare of theCarabinieri Cavalry Regiment.This solemn rite is carried out only on three other occasions, during theanniversary of the unification of Italy(17 March), theFesta della Repubblica(2 June) and theNational Unity and Armed Forces Day(4 November).

The flag in museums

Further information:Museum of the Risorgimento, Bologna;Museum of the Risorgimento (Milan);Museum of the Risorgimento (Rome);Museum of the Risorgimento (Turin);andTricolour Flag Museum

TheCentral Museum of the Risorgimento at Vittoriano,located inRome

There are many museums that host at least one historic Italian flag. Located throughout theItalian peninsula,they are mainly located innorthern Italy.

The most important exhibition space that hosts Italian tricolour flags is found in the architectural complex of theAltare della Patriain Rome.Inside the "Central Museum of the Risorgimento at the Vittoriano",there are about 700 historical flags belonging to theItalian Army,Italian NavyandItalian Air Forcedepartments, as well as the tricolour flag with which it was wrapped in 1921 coffin of theUnknown Soldieron his journey to the Altar of the Patria.The oldest tricolour preserved in the Central Museum of theRisorgimentodates back to 1860:it is one of the original tricolours that flew on theLombardosteamshipwhich, together withPiedmontsteamship, participated in theexpedition of the Thousand.The Vittoriano also houses the Flag Memorial (Sacrario delle Bandiere), the museum that collects and preserves disused Italianwar flags.

Interior of theTricolour Flag MuseuminReggio Emilia,the city that saw the birth of the Italian flag in 1797

Other exhibition spaces that also host historical tricolour flags in Rome include, the Historical Museum of theCarabinieri,the Historical Museum of theBersaglieri,the Historical Museum of theInfantry,the Historical Museum of theSardinian Grenadiers,the Historical Museum of theMilitary engineering,the Historical Museum of theGuardia di Finanzaand the Historical Museum of Military Motorization.

TheTricolour Flag MuseuminReggio nell'Emilia,the city that saw the birth of the Italian flag in 1797, was founded in 2004. It is located within the town hall of the Emilian city, adjacent to theSala del Tricolorewhere documents and memorabilia attributable to the period between the arrival ofNapoleonBonaparte in Reggio (1796) and 1897, the year of the first centenary of the Italian flag are kept.

Other exhibition spaces that also host historical tricolour flags inEmilia-Romagnaare the Museum of the Risorgimento and of theResistanceinFerrara,the Civic Museum of the Risorgimento inModena,the Museum of the Resistance inMontefiorino,theCivic Museum of the Risorgimento in Bologna,the Museum of the Risorgimento inImolaand the Museum of the Risorgimento inPiacenza.

TheNational Museum of the Italian Risorgimento in Turin

TheNational Museum of the Italian Risorgimento in Turin,the only one ofRisorgimentothat officially has the title of "national", house a rich collection of tricolours, including some dating back to therevolutions of 1848.Among the relics of the Royal Armory of Turin there is a flag of 1855, a relic in theCrimean War,in which theRussian Empirelost to an alliance of theOttoman Empire,France,BritainandKingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.InPiedmont,there are also other museums that host Italian flags in their collections: the National Historical Museum ofArtilleryin Turin, the Historical Museum of theCavalryinPineroloand theBadoglianoHistorical Museum inGrazzano Badoglio.

InLiguria,there is the Museum of the Risorgimento andMazzinianInstitute inGenoawhich preserves, among other things, an original flag of theYoung Italy,while inLa Speziathere is the Naval Technical Museum of the Navy, founded in the 15th century byAmadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy.

TheMuseum of the Risorgimento in Milan

TheMuseum of the Risorgimento in Milanhouses several tricolours from theNapoleonic era,including a flag of theLombard Legiondating back to 1797 and delivered to the cohort of hunters on horseback only after the aforementioned ceremony inPiazza del Duomo, Milan,on 6 November 1796.Inside the Milanese museum there is also the tricolour flag dating back to theFive Days of Milanthat flew from theMilan Cathedralon 20 March 1848.

NearMantua,inSolferino,is the Museum of the Risorgimento of Solferino and San Martino, which celebrates the 1859military battle of the same nameand which houses many relics of the event, including several tricolour flags.

Other exhibition spaces that also host historical tricolour flags inLombardyincludethe International Museum of theRed CrossinCastiglione delle Stiviere,the Museum of the Risorgimento inBergamo,the Museum of the Risorgimento inBrescia,the Museum of the Risorgimento inComo,theVittoriale degli ItalianiinGardone Riviera,the Museum of the Risorgimento inMantua,the Museum of the Risorgimento inPaviaand the Museum of the Risorgimento inVoghera.

TheCivic Museum of the Risorgimento in Bologna

InVenice,the Museum of the Risorgimento and the Venetian 19th century preserves the tricolour flag of 1848 which greeted the expulsion of theAustriansfrom the city; Venice also hosts the Naval History Museum, which has an importance comparable to the homonymous exhibition space in La Spezia.The description of theTrivenetomuseumsis completed by the Italian War History Museum inRovereto,dedicated to World War I, which houses many relics, including several tricolour flags; the Historical Museum ofTrento,which preserves items dedicated to theAlpinitroops, the Museum of the Risorgimento and of the contemporary age inPadua,the Museum of the Risorgimento and of the Resistance inVicenza.InTrieste,there is the Museum of the Risorgimento and the shrine ofOberdan.

InSardinia,in addition to the Museum of the Risorgimento of the State Archives inCagliari,there is the Museum of the Risorgimento Duca d'Aosta inSanluri,set up at the castle ofEleonora D'Arborea,which preserves, among the numerous patriotic and the historical flags, the tricolour that on 3 November 1918 flew first in the Trieste just reconquered by Italy after the victory in World War I.

Other exhibition spaces that also host historical tricolour flags in otherregions of Italyinclude the Domus Mazziniana inPisa,theMarchemuseum of the Risorgimento and the Resistance inMacerata,the Museum of the Risorgimento inPalermo,which also preserves one of the original tricolour flags belonging to theLombardosteamshipwhich participated in theExpedition of the Thousand,and the museum of the State Archives inNapleswhich houses, among other things, twelve of the twenty-one tricolour flags requisitioned by theBourbongeneralCarlo Filangierifrom the Sicilian patriots ofCaltagirone,Catania,LeonforteandSyracuseduring theSicilian revolution of 1848.

Similar national flags

Comparison of similarities of the Italian andMexican flags

The Italian national flag belongs to the family of flags derived from the French tricolour,with all the meanings attached, as mentioned, to the ideals of theFrench Revolution.

Due to the common arrangement of the colours, at first sight, it seems that the only difference between the Italian and theMexican flagis only thecoat of arms of Mexicopresent in the latter; in reality the Italian tricolour uses lighter shades of green and red, and has different proportions than the Mexican flag—those of the Italian flag are equal to 2:3, while the proportions of the Mexican flag are 4:7.The similarity between the two flags posed a serious problem in maritime transport, given that originally the Mexican mercantile flag was devoid of arms and therefore was consequently identical to the Italian Republican tricolour of 1946; to obviate the inconvenience, at the request of theInternational Maritime Organization,both Italy and Mexico adopted naval flags with different crests.

Also due to the Italian layout, the Italian flag is also quite similar to theflag of Ireland,with the exception of orange instead of red (although the shades used for these two colours are very similar)and proportions (2:3 against 1:2).

Flag of Ireland

TheHungarian flaghas the same colours as the Italian one, but on the Magyar banner the red, white and green tricolour is arranged horizontally.Another banner chromatically similar to the Italian one is theflag of Bulgaria;similarly to the Hungarian flag, the Bulgarian banner has the white, green and red tricolour (starting from the top) in horizontal stripes, and therefore also in this case there is no confusion with the Italian tricolour.

Similar to the Hungarian banner is theflag of Iran,but green and red are reversed.In theflag of Madagascargreen and red are in horizontal bands while white is in vertical band.Theflag of Omanis similar to the Bulgarian banner,while theflag of Tajikistanis similar to the Hungarian banner.

Finally, they present other combinations of the three colours, the flags ofMadagascar,Suriname,andBurundi.Theflag of Surinamehas a very specific composition of horizontal tricolor bands: the central red band (loaded with a gold star) and flanked by white and green bands.Theflag of Burundiinstead has a whiteSaint Andrew's Crossthat divides the cloth into four triangular sections, the upper and lower ones red and the lateral ones green.

The flag in the arts

In the visual arts

Garibaldi wounded in Aspromonteby an unknown author (around 1870)

The first Italian flag brought to Florenceby Francesco Saverio Altamura (1859)

26 April 1859by Odoardo Borrani (1861)

Fighting at Litta Palace(mid 19th century) by Baldassare Verazzi

Little patriots(1862) by Gioacchino Toma

Episode of the Five Days in Piazza Sant'Alessandro(late 19th century) by Carlo Stragliati

Garibaldi lands in Marsala(late 19th century) by Gerolamo Induno

Famous paintings dating back to theunification of Italywhose subject revolves around the tricolour arePasquale Sottocorno assaulting the Military Engineering Palace during the Five Days of Milan(1860) byPietro Bouvier,Charles Albert of Piedmont-Sardinia on the balcony of the Greppi Palace(1848) byCarlo Bossoli,Little patriots(1862) byGioacchino Toma,Garibaldi lands in Marsala(late 19th century),The departure of the volunteers(1877–1878),The departure of the Garibaldine(1860),The departure of the conscripts in 1866(1878)The return of the wounded soldier(1854),all byGerolamo Induno,The first Italian flag brought to Florence(1859) byFrancesco Saverio Altamura,The wounded soldier(1865–1870) byAngelo Trezzini,Episode of the Five Days in Piazza Sant'AlessandrobyCarlo Stragliati(late 19th century),Fighting at Litta Palace(half 19th century) byBaldassare Verazzi,The brothers are in the field! Remembrance of Venice(1869) byMosè Bianchi,The breach of Porta Pia(1880) byCarlo Ademollo,On 26 April 1859(1861) byOdoardo Borrani,andGaribaldi's Burial(1862–64) byFilippo Liardo.

The tricolour often recurs in the paintings of Italian painters adhering tofuturism.In particular,Giacomo Ballahas often used the symbol of the Italian flag in some patriotic works such asFlag Waving,Interventionist DemonstrationandDemonstration20th September.

In music

The firstsongson the tricolour started to be composed shortly after its official adoption on 7 January 1797.The most famous popular musical composition written in this period and dedicated to the Italian flag isTo the tricolour,which reads:

Tricolour the Insignia and the Standard
new fire awaken us in the heart!
The ringing of the trumpets is a harbinger
of victories, triumphs and valor

— To the tricolour,unknown author

However, most of the songs dedicated to the Italian flag were written during theunification of Italy.The most famous isThe flag of the three colours,sung in all Italianprimary schoolsfor decades:

The flag of the three colours
has always been the most beautiful,
we always want that,
we want freedom.
And the yellow and black flag
here he has finished reigning!
The yellow and black flag
here he has finished reigning!
All united in one pact
tight around the flag,
we will shout morning and evening:
long live the three colours!

— The flag of the three colours,unknown author

During thebattle of Aspromonte(29 August 1862), the notes ofThe tricolour flag,by an unknown author, rang out;the flag is also mentioned inGaribaldi's hymn,a 1859 song byLuigi Mercantini,which accompanied theExpedition of the Thousand.Other pieces from the unification of Italy celebrating the tricolour areGiuseppe Bertoldi'sLiberation of Milan,O Ardent young peopleby an anonymous authorand Luigi Mercantini'sWar Hymn of 1848–49.

The Italian flag is then mentioned in the musical compositionThe bell of San Giustoand in the pieceFaccetta Nera,written byRenato Micheliand set to music byMario Ruccionein April 1935 on the occasion of theSecond Italo-Ethiopian War(1935–1936).

The 1961 songThe FlagbyDomenico Modugnowas also dedicated to the flag. In 1965, singerIvan Della Mearecalled the tricolour as a symbol of national unity in the song9th May.The song refers to the event organized on 9 May 1965 in memory of the 20eth anniversary of theLiberation of Italy(1943–1945).

In March 2007, singer-songwriterGraziano Romanipublished the albumThree colours,inspired by the Italian flag and the occasion in which the tricolour was adopted in his hometown,Reggio Emilia.

In literature

Manyromantic poetstreated the tricolour flag in their literary works, drawing juxtapositions andsymbolisms:

From theAlpsto theStraitbrothers we are all!
On the open limits, on the destroyed thrones
let's plant our common three colours!
Green hopes it for so many years,
red the joy of having accomplished it,
white the brotherly faith of love.

— Giovanni Berchet,To arms to arms!,1831

White is the faith that chains us
red is the joy of our hearts
I'll put a verbena leaf in it
which I myself fed with fresh moods.

— Francesco Dall'Ongaro,The Brigidino (In honor of the Italian tricolour),1847

We too have our flag
no longer like one dayso yellow, so black;
on the white linen of our banner
waving a green laurel wreath:
of our tyrants in cowardly blood
the area of the third colour is tinted.

— Arnaldo Fusinato,The Song of the Insurgents,April 1848

The three colours of your flag are not three kingdoms but the whole of Italy:
the white Alps,
red the two volcanoes,
green is the grass of theLombardplanes.

— Francesco Dall'Ongaro,Garibaldi in Sicily,May 1860

Be blessed! Blessed in the immaculate origin, blessed in the way of trials and misfortunes for which immaculate still you proceeded, blessed in battle and victory, now and forever, forever! Do not ramp of eagles and lions, do not surmount predatory beasts, in the holy banner; but the colours of our spring and our country, fromMont CenistoEtna;the snows of the Alps, the April of the valleys, the flames of the volcanoes. And immediately those colours spoke to generous and kind souls, with the inspirations and effects of the virtues with which the homeland stands and augusts: white, the serene faith in the ideas that make the soul divine in the constancy of the wise; green, the perpetual re-flowering of hope as the fruit of good in the youth of poets; red, the passion and blood of martyrs and heroes. And immediately the people sang to her flag that she was the most beautiful of all and that they always wanted her and with her freedom!

— Giosuè Carducci,speech given to celebrate the 1st Centenary of the birth of the Tricolour, Reggio Emilia, 7 January 1897

See also

• Cockade of Italy
• Flags of Napoleonic Italy
• Flags of regions of Italy
• List of Italian flags
• National symbols of Italy
• Sala del Tricolore
• Tricolour Day
• Tricolour Flag Museum

Bibliography

• Bellocchi, Ugo (2008).Bandiera madre – I tre colori della vita(in Italian). Scripta Maneant.ISBN978-88-95847-01-6.
• Bovio, Oreste (1996).Due secoli di tricolore(in Italian). Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito.SBNIT\ICCU\BVE\0116837.
• Bronzini, Giovanni Battista; Dal Mestre, Luigi (1986). "La restaurazione austriaca a Milano nel 1814".Lares(in Italian).LII(3). Casa Editrice Leo S. Olschki: 425–464.
• Busico, Augusta (2005).Il tricolore: il simbolo la storia(in Italian). Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, Dipartimento per l'informazione e l'editoria.SBNIT\ICCU\UBO\2771748.
• Colangeli, Oronzo (1965).Simboli e bandiere nella storia del Risorgimento italiano(PDF)(in Italian). Patron.SBNIT\ICCU\SBL\0395583.Archived(PDF)from the original on 6 August 2020.Retrieved22 September2019.
• Fiorini, Vittorio (1897)."Le origini del tricolore italiano".Nuova Antologia di Scienze Lettere e Arti(in Italian).LXVII(fourth series): 239–267 and 676–710.SBNIT\ICCU\UBO\3928254.
• Maiorino, Tarquinio; Marchetti Tricamo, Giuseppe; Zagami, Andrea (2002).Il tricolore degli italiani. Storia avventurosa della nostra bandiera(in Italian). Arnoldo Mondadori Editore.ISBN978-88-04-50946-2.
• Tarozzi, Fiorenza; Vecchio, Giorgio (1999).Gli italiani e il tricolore(in Italian). Il Mulino.ISBN88-15-07163-6.
• Tobia, Bruno (2011).L'Altare della Patria(in Italian). Il Mulino.ISBN978-88-15-23341-7.
• Vecchio, Giorgio (2003)."Il tricolore".Almanacco della Repubblica(in Italian). Bruno Mondadori. pp. 42–55.ISBN88-424-9499-2.
• Villa, Claudio (2010).I simboli della Repubblica: la bandiera tricolore, il canto degli italiani, l'emblema(in Italian). Comune di Vanzago.SBNIT\ICCU\LO1\1355389.

External links

• ItalyatFlags of the World
• (in Italian)La Bandiera degli italianiPresidenza della Repubblica, Palazzo del Quirinale
• (in Italian)Centro Italiano Studi Vessillologici(Italian Centre for the Study ofVexillology)