History of the Italy flag

Italy flag: This is a brief history of the flag, it origins and why it was chosen to represent the country. 

The Flag of Italy

It would be surprising to find someone who doesn’t recognise the Italian flag. The three distinguished colours of green, white and red are known worldwide as an Italian culture ambassador. The country is a world leader in style, food and lifestyle – where Italian products and institutions are seen on almost every location on the planet.

If you have a local pizza restaurant or homewares outlet – there’s likely an Italian flag not too far away. The Italian people have flourished on creating cuisines, and culture channels enjoyed the world over. Italy has not always been a unified nation – however, the colours have mainly been present throughout their intriguing history.

History of the Italian Flag

Italy was composed up of several republics, each with their own flag up until the 18th century. The colours of the Italian flag started to be incorporated into several each nation-states identity. Notably, the Genoa Republic and Cispadane used red, green and white. That formed the bases of the Italian flag we see today.

The design and colours were inspired by the French Revolution adopting the ‘Tricolore’. The patriotism and movement of the people it represented, made its way into the Italian Republics and came to prominence when the country began to unify into one Republic. The green represented natural rights, the white for social equality and the red being freedom.

Italy was brought to a beginning of unification after Napoleon’s invasion in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The former republics were bound by the single goal of removing foreign powers from the Italian lands. Hence, they were brought together under one military banner – the one very similar seen today.

After Napolean’s fall, Italy saw many invaders and wars fought for independence from intruders – all battling under the vice of the red, white and green. The colours never changed, but the way the flag was presented did. The flag changed rapidly from boxes to diamonds with centred graphics – sometimes representing Italy as a whole, others the individual Republics.

Italy saw much political and social change in the 19th and 20th century – it took the form of a Kingdom, a National Socialist State and a Republic. The presentation of the flag slowly solidified into a common one. In 1946 the new Italian Republic was born after over 100 years of turmoil – and the modern-day flag was adopted as a permanent one.

Where Can We See the Italian Flag Today?

Nearly any entity that has Italian roots is very likely to have an Italian flag display. The diaspora from the nation is one of the largest worldwide – emigrating through centuries to places like the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. There are many Italian-owned businesses and culture outlets such as pizzerias, theatres, fashion outlets and home design centres. Italian culture has resonated to all corners of the globe.

The official flag serves as a representation of Italy in all national and international affairs. Many Italian flags line the streets in international Italian festivals such as the Feast of San Genarro and Liberation Day. There are many proud Italians throughout the world that love their heritage. Often, they display a unified flag to match their pride.

If you are interested in buying one of our International flags, you can always take a look at our online store.

We have a large range of affordable flags that are made with premium quality fabrics, suitable for any environment. We have a large range of heavy duty flags suitable for even the toughest environments.

All orders through our store will be delivered to your home, express postage is always an option, so you don’t have to wait long to get one of our International flags.

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