Italian Flag Facts
The national flag of Italy has gone through several changes over 250 years. The common thread during all those years has been its three colors--green, white and red--depicted as equal sized stripes. Throughout Repubblica Italiana, which is the official name of Italy, the flag is displayed proudly.
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Significance of the Colors
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The three colors of the Italian flag represent both virtues and geography. Green is for hope, white is for faith and red represents charity. Green also stands for the plains and the hills of Italy. White represents the snowy Alps. Red is for the blood shed during the Italian Independence wars. There is documentation that indicates the colors come from the uniforms of the militia of Milan during the late 1700s.
History of Italy's Flag
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The tri-colored (or Tre-Colore or Tricolore) flag first flew at Modena during 1797 as the banner of one of the area's many republics. When Napoleon I grouped the northern provinces into one kingdom during 1805, he adopted the common tri-colored flag. Arriving in Milano accompanied by Pope Pius VII, Napoleon consolidated the land from fifteen states to three to support political unity.
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Changes To The Flag
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After about 40 additional years of fighting, the tri-colored flag again was proclaimed the national flag when King Carlo Alberto formed a constitutional monarchy during 1848. King Alberto added the arms and shield of his royal house to the flag. After 1870, King Vittorio Emmanuele II of Florence added a crown above the arms and shield.
Today's Flag
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The arms and crown were removed from the flag when Italy became a republic after World War II in June 1946. To this day, the flag's design depicts the simple Tre-Colore of green, white and red.
Horizontal Display
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At one time, the colors were displayed horizontally. This Cispadane Republic flag during the late 1700s had the red at the top, the white in the middle and the green at the bottom.
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