Flag of Italy

Italian Republic
Nameil Tricolore
UseNational flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Flag can be hung vertically by hoisting on a normal pole, then turning the pole 90° Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
Adopted29 June 1797; 229 years ago (29 June 1797) (As the Cisalpine Republic)
18 June 1946; 80 years ago (18 June 1946) (founding of the Italian Republic)
14 April 2006; 20 years ago (14 April 2006) (current colour specifications)
DesignA vertical tricolour of green, white and red
Variant flag of Italian Republic
UseCivil flag and ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
Adopted9 November 1948; 77 years ago (1948-11-09)
DesignAn Italian tricolour defaced with combined historical arms of Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi but different from that of the Italian Navy
Variant flag of Italian Republic
UseState ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
Adopted24 October 2003; 23 years ago (2003-10-24)
DesignAn Italian tricolour defaced with the Emblem of Italy
Variant flag of Italian Republic
UseNaval ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion2:3
Adopted9 November 1947; 78 years ago (1947-11-09)
DesignAn Italian tricolour defaced with the arms of the Italian Navy
Variant flag of Italian Republic
UseWar flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion1:1
DesignAn Italian tricolour with a dimension ratio of 1:1
Variant flag of Italian Republic
UseNaval jack Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion1:1
DesignAn square flag as the banner of the arms of the Italian Navy

The national flag of Italy, often referred to as the Tricolour (il Tricolore, it), is a flag featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white and red, with the green at the hoist side, as defined by Article 12 of the Constitution of the Italian Republic. The Italian law regulates its use and display, protecting its defence and providing for the crime of insulting it; it also prescribes its teaching in Italian schools together with other national symbols of Italy.

The Italian Flag Day named Tricolour Day was established by law n. 671 of 31 December 1996, and is held every year on 7 January. This celebration commemorates the first official adoption of the tricolour as a national flag by a sovereign Italian state, the Cispadane Republic, a Napoleonic sister republic of Revolutionary France, which took place in Reggio Emilia on 7 January 1797, on the basis of the events following the French Revolution (1789–1799) which, among its ideals, advocated national self-determination. The Italian national colours appeared for the first time in Genoa on a tricolour cockade on 21 August 1789, anticipating by seven years the first green, white and red Italian military war flag, which was adopted by the Lombard Legion in Milan on 11 October 1796.

After 7 January 1797, popular support for the Italian flag grew steadily, until it became one of the most important symbols of Italian unification, which culminated on 17 March 1861 with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, of which the tricolour became the national flag. Following its adoption, the tricolour became one of the most recognisable and defining features of united Italian statehood in the following two centuries of the history of Italy.


Historical evolution of the flag

Description

Colours

One of three original copies of Constitution of the Italian Republic, now in the custody of Historical Archives of the president of the Italian Republic

The colours of the Italian flag are indicated in article 12 of the Constitution of the Italian Republic, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 298, extraordinary edition, of 27 December 1947, and came into force on 1 January 1948:

If the flag is exposed horizontally, the green part should be placed at the hoist side, with the white one in a central position and the red one outside, while if the banner is exposed vertically the green section should be placed above.

Chromatic definition

The Italian flag, using the 2003 to 2006 colours
The Italian flag, using the 2006 colours

The need to precisely define the colours was born from an event that happened at the Justus Lipsius building, seat of the Council of the European Union, of the European Council and of their Secretariat, when an Italian MEP, in 2002, noticed that the colours of the Italian flag were unrecognisable with red, for example, which had a shade that turned towards orange. For this reason the government, following the report of this MEP, decided to specifically define the colours of the Italian national flag.

The shades of green, white and red were first specified by these official documents:

  • circulaire of the Undersecretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of 18 September 2002;
  • circulaire by the State Secretary for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of 17 January 2003;
    •   green: Pantone tessile 18-5642TC (Golf Green), called in the text "bright green grass";
    •   white: Pantone tessile 11-4201TC (Cloud Dancer), called in the text "milky white";
    •   red: Pantone tessile 18-1660TC (Tomato), called in the text "red tomato".

New documents then replaced the previous ones:

The chromatic tones of the three colours, on polyester stamina, are enshrined in paragraph 1 of article n. 31 "Colour definition of the colours of the flag of the Republic", of Section V "Flag of Republic, National Anthem, National Feasts and State Funeral", of Chapter II "General provisions relating to ceremonial", of the annex "Presidency of the Council of Ministers – State Ceremonial Department", to the decree of the president of the Council of Ministers of 14 April 2006 "General provisions on ceremonial and precedence between public offices", published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 174 of 28 July 2006.

DescriptionNumberRGBCMYKHSVHex
 Fern Green (Archived 23 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine)17-6153 TC0, 140, 69100%, 0%, 51%, 45%150°, 100%, 55%#008C45
Bright White (Archived 23 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine)11-0601 TC244, 245, 2400%, 0%, 2%, 4%72°, 2%, 96%#F4F5F0
Flame Scarlet (Archived 23 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine)18-1662 TC205, 33, 420%, 84%, 80%, 20%357°, 84%, 80%#CD212A

Other official flags

Governmental standards

Standard of the President of the Italian Republic, modified in 2000

The president of the Italian Republic has an official standard. The current version is based on the square flag of the Napoleonic Italian Republic, on a field of blue, charged with the emblem of Italy in gold.

Template:National symbols of Italy Template:Risorgimento

Template:Italian flags Template:Flag of Europe


  1. ↑ Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana Art. 12, 22 dicembre 1947, pubblicata nella Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 298 del 27 dicembre 1947 edizione straordinaria (published in the Official Gazette [of the Italian Republic] No. 298 of 27 December 1947 extraordinary edition) "La bandiera della Repubblica è il tricolore italiano: verde, bianco, e rosso, a tre bande verticali di eguali dimensioni"
  2. ↑ "Verbali del Consiglio dei Ministri della Repubblica Sociale Italiana settembre 1943 – aprile 1945/24 novembre 1943". Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "La Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Il tricolore" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 Villa 2010, p. 35.
  7. 1 2 "Dopo 206 anni codificati i toni del nostro simbolo nazionale". Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2020.