Italy’s rich history, culture and arts, as well as its cities, people, customs, and clothing, are all fascinating. Ever wonder what the fascinating facts are about Italy’s flag? Like many flags, the flag is a symbol of the country. What is the history of the Italian flag? Are you familiar with its history?
The flag’s colors are more than just a set of colors that were agreed upon. These colors are representative of all that Italy stands for and all they have stood for. The story has progressed a lot from the Kingdom of Italy flag, to the current flag colors of Italy.
10 Interesting Facts About the Italian Flag
If you’ve ever been to Italy, you will have noticed the colors in the streets and the food. All the famous Margherita pizzas and Caprese salads have red, white, and green colors. Il Tricolore, which is beautiful, represents hope, faith, and charity. Let’s learn more about the meaning of the Italian flag.
1. Flag colors of Italy
Let’s start with the most important thing, ‘how does it look?’ Everyone is probably familiar with Italy’s flag, which is Green White and Red. It is called Il Tricolore by the Italians, which refers to three colors. Most people will recognize the flag of Italy if you show it to them.
A few countries have flags with similar colors to Hungary, but there are others. They also have the same color schemes (probably the green is darker), but they only have the three colors horizontally.
Mexico and Ireland have similar flag colors to each other, but they come in different shades. The colors are placed vertically, and the green color is the closest to the flag post. Next comes the white and red. The meaning of the Italian flag is next.
2. The meaning of the colors
Now you are familiar with the color of the Italian flag. But what about the meaning? There are many meanings to the flag colors. Italians love romantic explanations so the green refers to the hills and plains of Italy, while the white refers to the snowy Alps. The red is for blood and represents the Italian war to unify Italy.
Another meaning of the Italian flag colors is charity, hope, faith and faith. The color green is for hope, the color white for faith, and red for charity. Although this is a more religious interpretation, both meanings are valid and widely used. Most Italians would give the first answer if you asked them.
3. What year was the flag first used in public?
Many countries have their own national flag-raising day. Italy is no exception. While you won’t find the colors of the Italian flag on every house, many have them on their windows or terraces.
The Tricolore is most often seen at residences and on sporting events. Tricolor Day is the national day to honor the flag, also known as Festa del Tricolore. It is the 7th January. This date was established in 1797 by Giuseppe Campagnoni, who suggested that the flag be universal.
It all took place in Reggio Emilia, which is where it is celebrated every year. Each year, the Festa della Repubblica, which is held on the 2nd June, sees combat planes flying through the sky, painting the sky in red, green, and white.
4. Italian cuisine based on colors of the flag
It is necessary that you are familiar with Italian cuisine. How does the Italian flag relate to food? Take the Pizza Margherita, for instance, and you will notice the three colors on the dish. It is easy to see the story behind the Italian flag or the presence thereof on dishes.
Pizza Margherita was made for Queen Margherita de Savoy. She wanted to ensure that the dish featured the Italian flag colors. They created the pizza using red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese and fresh, green basil.
The colors are not only in the pizza, but also in salads such as the Caprese Salad or pasta that feature the flag colors. Italian prides themselves on green, red, and white so they are included in their clothing and other celebrations. You can’t forget about the Made in Italy label!
5. The story behind these three colors
These lines will help you answer the question “What does the Italian flag look?” You wouldn’t mix it up with any other flag around the globe, and that is what is most important. There are many stories behind this flag. It was first displayed to the public in Italy’s flag on 12 February 1797 in Modena (region of Emilia Romagna).
The colors were then displayed horizontally. After a year, the colors were made vertically. It was not clear that this was the Italian flag. It was the flag of Cisalpina Republic, since the country was still divided at the time.
6. A President from Italy tried to change the colors
This is one of my favourite facts about the Italian flag. Silvio Berlusconi, a former president of Italy, tried to change the flag’s colors. Although he thought it was a brilliant idea, he soon lost the momentum as no one agreed with him.
This was rejected by the citizens of Italy quickly, while a referendum was held in which Italians could choose their colors. The referendum was also cancelled because these colors are so important that no one would ever want to change them. This is just one of many silly ideas Berlusconi entertained while he was president.
7. Flag of the Roman Republic
We know that the colors of the Italian flag were adopted first in 1796. They were displayed only one year later. The center of the flag used to have a crown and coat of arms, but they are no longer there.
Also, there was the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy Flag when Napoleon occupied Cisalpine Republic. It wasn’t Italy back then, but the Italian Republic was established and the flag could not have been more different from it today. The tricolor flag was a symbol during the Napoleonic era and is still very significant today.
8. What did the flag look like in World War II?
So now you know when the Italy flag was made and what its representation is as the Kingdom of Italy flag. It looked very different during World War II. The colors were horizontal and the eagle was in the middle of the army flag.
This was due to the Italian Social Republic’s 1943 flag change. The flag for the army had a new design while the flag outside of war looked identical. These colors, which we now know as the official colors, were adopted on January 1, 1948.
9. Celebration of the Italian flag
Let’s now see how Italians celebrate their national day. The flag is used to bring good luck to teams during football tournaments.
Apart from football, Reggio Emilia celebrates the Festa del Tricolore on the 7th January every year. Piazza Prampolini is where the military carries a flag that was used in Cisalpine Republic. The Festa della Repubblica is held on the 2nd June.
10. The flag can be purchased in souvenir shops.
After we’ve covered all the historical facts important, it’s time to move on to the final one. Would you like to see a picture the Italian flag? The flag can be purchased at any souvenir shop in Italy, and is also available during football matches.
Each souvenir shop sells a photo of the Italy flag or other items that feature the flag. You can either take the keychain or magnet home or give it as a gift to someone you care about. You must display the flag at football matches if you are an Italian fan!
The meaning of the Italian flag wrapped up
This concludes our article on the Italian flag colors. These 10 facts will tell you everything about the meaning of the Italian flag colors. You must have souvenirs if you ever travel to Italy. Even though fridge magnets are not in fashion anymore, they’re still very popular. The printable Italian flag can be found here.
