One of the three symbols of the state is the flag. Usually in the color of the flag, in its size, shape, in the presence of a coat of arms or other symbols, in general in how it looks, the history of the country is reflected.
Possible origin of flag colors
Italy is an ancient country. All European civilization was born here , wars were going on, new countries appeared. And all this to some extent reflected the flag of Italy. The history of the final version of the state symbol is not unambiguous. Tricolor - colors green, white, red - are interpreted differently. There are playful sayings ("the colors of pasta, greens and tomatoes"), there are strict and solemn ones - justice, equality, fraternity. White and green colors are often compared with the snow and valleys of Italy. And red is sometimes associated with the color of blood shed for the liberation and unification of a beloved country.
The appearance of the Italian flag
The national flag of Italy is a cloth of three isometric and multi-colored parts (aspect ratio - 2: 3). The official interpretation is as follows: the green color (the first from the pole) symbolizes faith, the white color is hope, the red color is love. It sounds beautiful and symbolic for this fun, melodious and sunny country. Now the stripes are arranged vertically, in the original version they went horizontally. Whatever the version of the appearance of the banner, it cannot be denied that white and red colors were inherent in state symbols from ancient times. In Italy, the most revered saint is Ambrose the Mediolan (Mediolan in ancient Milan), the baptist of St. Augustine. His lifetime authority was so great that this figure influenced public policy. Along with Jerome Stridonsky, Aurelius St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great, he belongs to the greatest teachers of the Latin Church. As bishop of Milan, Ambrose Mediolansky enjoyed unlimited respect, public trust and love. His cross consisted of two colors - white and red, then they turned into the heraldic colors of Milan, the color of the form of the law enforcement officers of which was green.
First appearance
For the first time, the current flag of Italy appeared in the form of a banner of the Lombard Legion in 1796. It differed from the modern banner only in a square shape. His appearance was preceded by very tragic events. Italy as such was not at that time, and the numerous separate kingdoms and counties covered the Apennine peninsula . Many of them were under the strict control of the Papal State. The northern city of Bologna became famous for its oldest university, founded in 1088. Here, student unrest began in 1794. Napoleon was then considered to be a liberator, and university youth literally prayed for him. Two leaders of the uprising - Luigi Zamboni (according to some accounts, he initially acted in the interests of Bonaparte) and Giovanni Baptista De Rolandis - led the rebellion, composed a hymn and invented cockades like French, but with national colors - green, white and red. The leaders of the uprising tragically died. But soon Italy was conquered by Napoleon, and the heroes were solemnly reburied on Mount Montagnola. And the colors of the flag - the symbol of rebellion - passed to the banner.
Other options for the origin of the flag
But not everyone agrees with this romantic version and argues that the flag of Italy (according to V. Fiorini, a famous musician) has incorporated the colors of Milan so authoritative then. There are quite prosaic options: as if at the moment when you needed a symbol of revolution to raise your spirits, it was sewn by a heated patriot from improvised pieces of material, in fact, not guided by any rules.
Under the auspices of France, new state formations begin to form. So, the small regions of Morena, Reggio, Ferrara and Bologna reunited and formed in 1796 the Cispadan (located on this side of the Po River) republic, whose national flag was a three-color tricolor with already vertical stripes. A little later, the kingdom of Emilia-Romagna entered its composition. In the same year, the Bologna Senate approved the banner officially.
First appearance of the final version
Even then, at the end of the 18th century, the banner of this small republic looked exactly like the flag of Italy now, today. Time passed, and the enlargement of small principalities by their merger continued. In 1797, the Cisalpine Republic was formed, which included states located on both sides of the Po River - Cispaden and Trans -aden. The banner remained the same. In 1802, the newly formed country was renamed the Italian Republic, in 1805 - the Italian Kingdom, which added Napoleon the title of monarch. This continued until the fall of the Bonaparte empire.
The flag of Italy was revived in the glorious era of Risorgimento (literally - “rebirth”) - the era of the country's liberation from Austrian occupation (Ethel Lilian Voynich’s novel “The Gadfly” is dedicated to this time) and further unification. However, the coat of arms of the Savoy dynasty appeared on the white part of the banner, because Italy, thanks to the actions of the liberal party of Risorgimento, again became a monarchical state. Giuseppe Garibaldi, who did so much to free the country, belonged to the democratic wing, fighting to ensure that Italy remained a republic. The coat of arms of the Savoy dynasty was officially abolished only in 1946. And in the days of Mussolini, the state flag had a different symbolism - on the white field was depicted fastia (or fascio, where the name fascism came from).
Modern flag history
What does the flag of Italy look like now? Since 1946, it has not changed. In 2005, laws were passed to prevent flag abuse, with a fine for violation of 1,000 to 1,500 euros, and for committing this action in a public place, up to 10,000 in the same currency. Italians with their inherent temperament love everything related to their homeland. The colors of the flag of Italy are present everywhere - from decoration of culinary dishes to interior design, furniture and clothing. The banner itself adorns many balconies just like that, not on holidays.
There are several national banners in the world that are very similar to the Italian state flag. In terms of color, these are the banners of Bulgaria, Hungary, India, Mexico and Ireland. The last two are also similar in the direction of the stripes - they are vertical. Most of all, the flag of Italy, the photo of which could be seen in the article, resembles Irish, the difference is only in shades of red.