Italy Flag: Meaning, Colors, History & Facts
Italy’s national flag is the Tricolore: three equal vertical bands of green, white and red. Article 12 of the Constitution defines the design, while its history reaches back to the Italian republican movements of the late eighteenth century.
What does the Italian flag look like?
The flag is a vertical tricolour of green, white and red, with all three bands equal in width. Article 12 of the Constitution defines this exact structure.
What do the colors mean?
Popular explanations often connect green with Italy’s landscape or hope, white with the Alps or faith, and red with sacrifice or charity. These interpretations are culturally familiar, but the Constitution itself does not assign an official symbolic meaning to each color.
See Italy’s official color specifications and symbolism →
What are the official colors?
The Presidency of the Council of Ministers publishes textile Pantone references: green 17-6153, white 11-0601 and red 18-1662.
When did the Italian tricolour begin?
The national tricolour is conventionally traced to January 7, 1797, when the Cispadane Republic adopted a green-white-red flag in Reggio Emilia. The arrangement evolved during the Risorgimento and became associated with Italian unity.
How did the modern Republic get its flag?
After the monarchy ended in 1946, the Savoy shield disappeared. The republican tricolour was provisionally established in June 1946 and later confirmed in Article 12 of the Constitution.
Read the full Italy flag history →
How can you identify Italy’s flag?
Look for green, white and red vertical bands with no emblem. Italy is easily confused with some vertical tricolours, so the order matters: green–white–red from hoist to fly.
Italy flag facts
| Name | Il Tricolore |
|---|---|
| Colors | Green, white, red |
| Layout | Three equal vertical bands |
| Constitution | Article 12 |
| Flag Day | January 7 |
