Italian Flag
The Italian flag is based on the French tricolore, although the
original Italian flag had horizontal bands. The first vertical
tricolore was introduced in 1798, but was initially used only until 1802
before it was taken out of commission.
The vertical bands on the Italian flag are green, white, and red.
While there is not much lore to explain why the color red was chosen,
it's said that green was chosen because it was Napoleon's favorite
color. The white that separates the green and red was chosen simply
to differentiate the Italian flag from that of Mexico.
While the Italian flag was removed following the fall of Napoleon, it was reintroduced in 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was born. The original Italian tricolore featured the coat of arms from the House of Savoy, but this was removed and the current flag officially adopted in 1946, when the Italian monarchy ended.
Related Italian Links
- Italy Flag - description and illustration of the flag of Italy.
- Italy Map - Italy maps, geography, and tourism.