The Flag of Italy
The flag of Italy, known as 'il Tricolore', features three equal vertical bands of green, white, and red, from the hoist side to the fly side. This tricolor design is a powerful symbol of Italian identity and patriotism. The green represents the country's plains and the hills, white symbolizes the snowy Alps and the peaks, and red stands for the bloodshed in the Wars of Italian Independence and Unification.
History
The origins of Italy's flag date back to the late 18th century, inspired by the French flag brought by Napoleon in 1797. The first entity to adopt a green, white, and red tricolor was the Cispadane Republic in 1797, a sister republic of revolutionary France. Over the years, these colors were associated with various states and movements seeking the unification of Italy. The modern version of the flag was officially adopted on 1 January 1948, following the establishment of the Italian Republic in 1946. However, the tricolor had been used by the Kingdom of Italy since its unification in 1861, with the only major change being the removal of the Savoy coat of arms after the abolition of the monarchy.