Italy

Il Tricolore, the Italian national flag

The flag of Italy, also known as the “Il Tricolore”, is an emblematic and recognized national symbol. It consists of three vertical stripes of equal width: green on the left, white in the center and red on the right. The flag was officially adopted on 1 January 1948, although its origins date back to the late eighteenth century.

The colors of the Italian flag have several interpretations. Traditionally, green represents the plains and hills of Italy, white symbolizes the snow of the Alps, and red evokes the blood shed for the unification and independence of Italy. Another interpretation associates green with hope, white with faith and red with charity.

Italy was the birthplace and center of the ancient Roman civilization. Rome was founded as a kingdom in 753 BC and became a republic in 509 BC. The Roman Republic then unified Italy forming a confederation of the Italic peoples and rose to dominate Western Europe, Northern Africa, and the Near East.