Growing up as an Italian-American, I learned what the American flag stands for. I understood the meaning behind each star and stripe. Nevertheless, I was never fully aware of what the colors of the Italian flag stand for. The Italian flag is everywhere, and it is important for all Italians to understand the history of their flag! The flag of Italy is a tricolor flag containing green, white, and red. The green stripe is always placed nearest to the flagpole. It has been used since 1946! There are actually several interpretations of the Italian flag.
The red and white colors of the flag actually came from the flag of Milan. The green color was taken from the Milanese civil guard’s uniforms! The white stripe stemmed from the French flag’s model. Nevertheless, today there are several other interpretations of the meanings of the colors.
Today the most popular opinion is that the flag of Italy stands for the country itself. Many believe that green represents Italy’s plains and hills. White stands for the snow that falls on the alps in the north, and red represents the blood that was shed in the wars of Italian independence.
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- Main Image: Photo by alexey turenkov on Unsplash
