UNITY OF ITALY: THE ITALIAN FLAG

The Italian flag is known as the Tricolore The design has undergone a lot of changes throughout Italy's history. The country wasn’t unified until 1861 and didn’t become a republic until 1946, so it is easy to understand why the history of   the flags is so chaotic: because of the chaotic history of Italy.

The first official Italian tricolour, was adopted on 7 January 1797 when the Parliament of the Cispadane Republic, on the proposal of deputy Giuseppe Compagnoni that decreed "to make universal the standard or flag of three colours, green, white, red : red and white from the flag of Milan, and green from the uniform of the civic guard. This flag was in the shape of a square, and the three colors were represented in horizontal bands. In the middle of the white there was 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 1798 the vertical square tricolour without a badge was adopted.

In 1802 a new flag was adopted, this time with a red field carrying a green square within a white lozenge.

In1805 the Italian Republic was transformed into the first Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. The flag was in rectangular form, with the golden Napoleonic eagle. This remained in use until the abdication of Napoleon in 1814.

During the Risorgimento, the tricolore became the symbol which united all the efforts of the Italian people towards freedom and independence.

On 1 January 1848 the Italian tricolore was adopted in its current form. Article 12 of the Italian Constitution states: “ the flag of the Republic is the Italian Tricolore: green white and red, in three vertical bands of equal dimensions”.

WHAT DO THE COLOURS ON THE ITALIAN FLAG MEAN?

Some have attributed particular values to the colours, and a common interpretation is that the green represents the country's plains and hills; white, the Alps covered with snow; and red the blood spilt in the wars of Italian independence. A more religious interpretation is that the green represents hope, the white represents faith and the red represents charity.

Here are just a few of the flags that have represented Italy in one form or another since the 18th century:

SOMENTHING TO ADD: A MOVING STORY

On 2^nd June, the day celebrating the birth of the Italian Republic, people could see  the flag of Oliosi waving on a cannon during the parade in Rome. In 1866, during the 3^rd war of independence Italian soldiers were attacked by the Austrians at Oliosi. They didn’t want the flag to be taken by the enemy, so they cut it into 13 pieces and each soldiers hid one in his clothes: 11 pieces have been found and resewn . Let's remember this story when we hear how people of an Italian political party would use it.