The
Flag of Italy - Description of the Italian Flag
As the above picture of the Italian Flag indicates a tricolor of Red,
White and Green
The description of
the Italian Flag is as follows:
Three equal
vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red
According to
Ancient and Heraldic traditions much symbolism is associated
with colors. The colors on the Italian flag represent the
following:
White -
peace and honesty
Red -
hardiness, bravery, strength & valour
Green -
hope, joy and love and in many cultures have a sacred
significance
All Flag
pictures depict flags flying, from the viewer's point of view,
from left to right
The shape and flag ratio of the Italian flag is described as 2:3 ( length 1½ times the
height )
The Meaning
& History of the Italian Flag - The Italian flag was
inspired by a flag brought to Italy by the Emperor Napoleon
Flag
Terminology - Did you Know ?
The design and description
uses specific flag terminology based on Heraldic principles
Animal blazons should always appear
with the heads facing the flag - staff side
The Study of the Flags is called
Vexillology
Your interest in flags makes you a
Vexillologist!
Increase your knowledge - Play the
Flag Quiz
Flag History &
Evolution:
The idea of
flying a flag grew from the requirements of ancient warfare and
the battlefield
Shields were
painted with emblems to identify Friend or Foe
Warriors
needed to know where their leaders were - the custom of carrying
a pole was adopted
An emblem
such as a shield, animal or religious device was attached to the
pole for identification
The emblems
were also used for identity and to cover suits of armour - Coats
of Arms were born
These
emblems were the forerunners of modern flags
The Romans
were the first to use a cloth flag - they were square and
fastened to cross bars at the end of spears - the idea of
fastening a flag to the side of a pole soon followed
The strict
rules of Heraldry are still used when designing an emblem and
creating a modern flag
Italian
Flag Etiquette
Italian Flag etiquette is very strict and is is
essential that Flag protocols and rules are followed correctly
Basic Flag
Etiquette applies to all nations, including Italian as follows:
Etiquette relating to the order of
precedence for the flag
National Flag of
Italian
State Flag of
Italian
Military Flag of
Italian (in order of creation date)
Other Flag of
Italian
The United Nations uses alphabetical order
when presenting a national flag including the Italian Flag. Their flag etiquette ensures
that no one country's flag has precedence over another country's
flag
The National flag of
Italian should never be flown
above another national flag on the same staff as this would
suggest superiority, or conversely, inferiority of one flag, or
Nation, over another
The Italian flag should never be allowed to drag
along the ground
A tattered or faded flag of
Italian should be removed
and replaced with a new flag
Due care and
consideration must be taken to ensure that the Italian flag is
always
flown the correct way up
A Flag of Italian, when in such
condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display,
should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning in
private with all due care and respect
Terminology & Etiquette in Italian Flag display
Hoist - the
act or function of raising the Italian flag, as on a rope
Half Staff
or Half Mast - the Italian flag is hoisted to half of the potential
height of the flag pole to denote grief and mourning
Performed
by first raising the Italian flag to the top, then lowering the
Italian Flag halfway
Distress -
denoted by flying the Italian flag upside-down
Manner of
hoisting - The Italian flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered
ceremoniously
No
disrespect should be shown to the Italian flag
The Italian flag
should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a
manner as to permit the Flag to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in
any way
The Italian
flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it,
nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure,
design, picture, or drawing on the flag of any nature
The
Italian flag should be hoisted first and lowered last
International Flag relating to Italian
Flag usage forbids the
display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation
in time of peace
We hope that the presentation of facts and
information regarding Italian Flag Etiquette has provided a useful
resource
Italy
Location:
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central
Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Italian Land Size
: 294,020 sq km
Italian Climate / Weather : predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north;
hot, dry in south
Italian Population
: 58,057,477 (July 2004 est.)
Former Name(s) :
Kingdom of Italy
Italian Capital
City: Rome
Italian GDP: $1.552
trillion (2003 est.)
Italian Main Industries :
tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing,
textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Italian Agricultural
products : fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets,
soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish
Italian Currency :
euro (EUR)
Main Colors of the
Italian Flag : Red,
White and Green
Concise History of
the Ancient Italian History and the Roman Empire
10,000BC
Upper Paleolithic (the Old Stone Age) period
5000 -
3000BC Neolithic (New Stone Age) period
3000BC -
1000BC Bronze Age period
600BC - The
Etruscans, natives of Asia Minor, establish cities from northern
to central Italy
282-272BC
War with Pyrrhus
264-241BC
War with Carthage (First Punic War)
218BC
Hannibal invades Italy
135-132BC
First Servile War (slave revolt)
73 - 71 B.C
Slave uprising led by Spartacus
64BC Pompey
captures Jerusalem
45BC Julius
Caesar defeats Pompey and became the first dictator of Rome
44BC Julius
Caesar assassinated
44-31BC The
Triumvirate of Marc Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian (later known
as Caesar Augustus) rule Rome
31 BC -
Antony and Cleopatra are defeated by Octavian
31BC-14AD
Octavian becomes Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor
27 BC - 14
AD Augustus becomes Emperor
14 - 37AD Tiberius, stepson of Caesar Augustus, becomes emperor
33AD
Crucifixion of Jesus and the origin of Christianity
37 - 41
Gaius (Caligula) crowned Emperor
41 - 54 Claudius proclaimed Emperor
54 - 68 Nero
proclaimed Emperor
64AD Fire
destroyed much of Rome during Nero's rule
68AD The
death of Nero ended the infamous Julio-Claudian dynasty
75-80 The
Roman emperors build the Colosseum as a place of gladiatorial
combat
180AD
Commodius succeeds his father Marcus Aurelius and imperial power
begins to decline
305AD
Constantine became the first Christian emperor
380
Christianity is declared the sole religion of the Roman Empire
by Theodosius I
410AD The
Visigoths, led by Alaric, sack Rome
455AD The
Vandals, led by Gaiseric, sack Rome
476 AD The
last Roman Emperor was Romulus Augustulus who was defeated by
Odoacer, a German Goth
Concise Italian History & its Flag
485 Italy
was invaded by Attila the Hun. Pope Leo I dissuaded Attila from
sacking Rome
568 The
Lombards, a Germanic tribe, invade Italy which is divided into
three regions ruled by the Lombards, the Eastern Roman Empire
and the Papal States5
553 The old
Roman Empire was reunited by Justinian, the Byzantine emperor
572 The
Byzantine rule collapses after an attack by the Lombards
756 Pepin
the Short, a Frankish King conquers the Lombards for the popes
756 The
Papal States were established in central Italy
774 The
Lombards defeated by Charlemagne
800
Charlemagne crowned Roman emperor
962 Otto the
Great, the king of Germany, was crowned emperor establishing the
Holy Roman Empire
1000s -
1400's Independent city-states are established
1519 Charles
I of Spain became Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire
1700s
Spanish rule passed to Austrian rule
1789 The
French Revolution
1796
Napoleon defeated the Austrian rulers
1804
Napoleon declared himself the emperor of Italy
1814
Napoleon abdicated his throne and Italy was broken up into small
kingdoms
1820s-1850s
Small revolutions in the kingdoms - Venice, Rome and Tuscany
declare themselves Republics
1849 Austria
regains control of most of Italy
1860
Northern Italy was joined to the Kingdom of Sardinia
1861 The
Kingdom of Italy was formed under the leadership of
Giuseppe Garibaldi
1861 Victor
Emmanuel II crowned king
1911 Italy
defeats the Ottoman Empire
1914 World
War I
1915 Italy
joins the war on the side of the Allies
1918 The
Allies win WW1
28 October
1922 The Fascists named Benito Mussolini the Prime Minister of
Italy
1925 Benito
Mussolini becomes the dictator of Italy
1936
Mussolini and Hitler sign an agreement known as the Roman-Berlin
Axis
1939 Italy
conquers Albania and Mussolini sides with Hitler and Fascist
Germany
8 September
1943 Italy surrenders to the Allies in WW II
13 October
1943 Italy declares war on Germany
1945
Mussolini was shot
August 1945
The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1945 End of
WW11
10 June 1946
Italy abolishes the monarchy and establishes a republic
"Around the World in 80
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The
Italian Flag and Nation
We hope that the presentation of facts
and information regarding the Italian Flag and Country has
provided a useful educational resource. To improve your
knowledge of Flags and Vexillology still further check out the
Flags and Nations Index and test your knowledge with our
interactive, multi-choice, picture-based Flag Trivia Quiz Game - it's fast and
it's fun! If you answer all questions correctly you will earn the
right to enter the Vexillologist Hall of Fame!
