Flower is the national symbol of Italy. National symbols of Italy - pride hand in hand with history
God created Italy according to Michelangelo's design.
(Mark Twain)
Italy(official name - Italian Republic) is a state in southern Europe, in the center of the Mediterranean. The origin of the word "italia" is not exactly known. According to the most common point of view, the term came from Greece. It means " calf country", because it was the bull that was the symbol of the peoples who once inhabited the south of the Apennine Peninsula.
Symbols Italy
The colors of the Italian flag were adopted in 1797. The tricolor (red, white, green) expresses ideals Italian citizens – fraternity, equality and justice.
- Pizza ♨
To date, more than 2000 of its variants are known. On June 11, 1889, the most famous pizza maker in Naples prepared a pizza in accordance with the colors of the national flag of Italy - tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, to which Queen Margherita of Savoy gave her name "Margherita". Since then, the food of the poor has conquered expensive restaurants
- Italian "boot"
Perhaps, by living in a territory similar to a boot, you can learn how to make beautiful and comfortable shoes
Political structure
Italy is a republic led by a president and with a bicameral parliament.
Administrative structure
in 1948, 20 regions (regions) were identified, which were divided into provinces (95 in total), and these, in turn, into districts.
Population
In the 21st century population Italy has reached 58 million people; in terms of population density (about 200 people per sq. km), Italy ranks 4th in Europe.
Predominant religion- Catholicism.
State language- Italian, belongs to the Romance group of languages of the Indo-European family. There are also different dialects of Italian in Italy. It is customary to divide all dialects into dialects of the North, Center and South. Modern Italian can be called a dialect that has managed to “make a career”; it is widely used in socio-political life. At the same time, in the Florentine dialect they speak more not about politics, but about culture, like the greatest artists born in Florence - Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Boccaccio. The German language is officially recognized as equal to Italian in Bolzano and South Tyrol, Slovenian has regional status in Gorizia and Trieste, French in the Aosta Valley.
Geographical position
The Italian "boot" crashes into the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Spain. The coast makes up 80% of the borders and is washed by the waters of four inland seas - Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Adriatic.
According to its relief, Italy is divided into three main regions - the Apennine Peninsula, the Padana Plain and the Italian Alps.
Mountains
The Apennines are a range of limestone hills from Genoa to Sicily, formed as a result of later geological movement.
The Italian Alps arose as a result of the folding of the earth's crust in the Tertiary period and form a giant barrier between Italy and northern Europe.
Plains and lowlands
Valleys occupy approximately a quarter of Italy's territory. The Padana Plain lies on the site of a vast tectonic depression between the Alps and the Apennines, which is gradually filled with river sediments.
Rivers
The Po River crosses the Padan Plain from west to east (652 km). Its numerous tributaries flow from the adjacent slopes of the Alps and Apennines. There are many hydroelectric power plants installed on the abundant alpine tributaries. The upper tributaries of the Po River cut through the Italian Alps with a dense network of transverse valleys along which railroads and highways pass connecting Italy with France and Switzerland. The rivers of the Apennine Peninsula are small, the largest being the Tiber (405 km).
Lakes
A characteristic feature of the Pre-Alps zone is the presence of large lakes (Lago Maggiore, Lugano, Como, Iseo, Garda). There are many resorts located in the basins of these lakes.
Climate
In most of Italy the climate is Mediterranean, in the Padanian Plain it becomes temperate, in the upper mountain zone it is cold. The climate also varies on the coast. So, on the Tyrrhenian it is maritime, on the Adriatic it is more continental. Local climatic features are characteristic of the Apennine Peninsula and islands, the Padanian Plain and the Italian Alps. The peninsula is a subtropical zone with a predominance of air masses of Atlantic origin: tropical in summer, temperate in winter. The average July temperature is about 24°C in the north of the peninsula and 26°C in the south. Winds in summer are predominantly north-easterly with little strength, with the exception of the African sirocco (southern or southwest wind). Winter is characterized by cyclones with precipitation. The average temperature in the south of the peninsula is 10°C, in the interior parts 3°C. Snow falls at low altitudes only in the northern part of the peninsula; stable cover forms only in the mountains. Winter is mild. The climate on the Italian Riviera is especially mild (the average January temperature in Genoa is 7°C)
Achievements of the ancient Romans
- Roman fountains
The word fountain comes from the Latin fontis - source. In ancient Roman fountains, water did not shoot upward in streams, but flowed down. Water flowed through aqueducts into numerous fountains: they imitated springs, and residents took water from them. The Romans knew almost no stomach diseases, since the water supplied from the slopes of the local hills was triple purified through coal, sand and herbal filters.
- Roman roads and bridges
During the Roman Republic, paved roads began to be built. With the onset of the rainy season, the Romans, who were constantly at war, did not want to stop the movement of the legions - they began to pave the roads with stone.
The first road between Rome and Capia was built by the censor Appius Claudius. It took over 100 years to complete. 900 years later, the historian Procopius called the Appian Way one of the wonders of the world: not a single stone was destroyed or even worn out. It is still in use today; in some parts of it traces of Roman carts have been preserved. The distance between the wheels of Roman carts (about 143 cm) became the modulus of the width of the rail track for many railways, since the first trains were tested in mines built by the Romans.
Along the roads, mile stones (pillars) were installed every thousand (Latin mille – thousand) double steps. The length of the Roman mile was about 1500 m.
- Traffic Laws
Street traffic in Rome was quite intense, and Julius Caesar took charge of regulating it. To avoid traffic collisions, one-way streets were introduced. The passage of private chariots and carts around Rome during the day was prohibited. Visitors had to leave their vehicles outside the city.
The prototype of the newspaper is considered to be the handwritten Acta Populi Romani Diurna (Daily Deeds of the Roman People). They appeared in Rome in 168 BC. – in busy squares they placed boards on which news was written in chalk. There were “fried” facts, weather reports, and an “incidents” section.
- Roman law
The legal system of the Roman Empire survived through extensive development. The Code of Justinian (528 – 534) formed the basis of some modern legislation (for example, France or the State of Louisiana in the USA).
From the history
You can learn more about the history of Italy by following this link.
The national flag of Italy, il Tricolore, as the Italians themselves lovingly call it, is one of the main symbols of the state, along with the anthem. The tricolor with vertical stripes of green, white and red appeared much earlier than the state itself.
The history of the creation of the Italian il Tricolore begins at the end of the 17th century. Two students - Luigi Zamboni and Giovanni Battista De Rolandis - fought for the independence of Bologna, at that time under the rule of the Holy See.
In the fall of 1794 they rebelled. According to some reports, Napoleon Bonaparte was behind the unrest, preparing an invasion of the Apennines.
As a distinctive sign, the rebels used green-white-red cockades, similar to the sign of revolutionary France. The blue color on them was replaced by green, representing hope. But the hopes of the rebels were not destined to come true then. The uprising was suppressed by the papal guards, and for the instigators the story ended sadly. Luigi Zamboni hanged himself in his cell, unable to withstand the brutal torture, and Giovanni Battista De Rolandis was publicly executed.
The memory of the martyrs of the revolution was immortalized by Napoleon. One of the first decrees in occupied Bologna, he ordered the reburying of the organizers of the riot on Mount Mantagnola. Napoleon completed the work of the revolutionaries: he abolished the power of the Holy See and recognized the free Cispadane Republic as a vassal of Bonapartist France. The banner of the student uprising became the official symbol of the new state. It had horizontal stripes and a coat of arms in the center. This is where the legs of the popular myth “grow” that the flag of Italy was invented personally by Bonaparte.
Royal Standard
In 1797, Napoleon united the Cispadane and Transpadane republics into the Cisalpine Republic, and the standard acquired its familiar appearance with vertical stripes of the same colors. The flag of France was taken as a basis.
Five years later, the Cisalpine Republic (Repubblica Cisalpina, 1797-1802) became the Italian Republic (Repubblica Italiana, 1802-1805), and its banner underwent major changes. The coloring remained unchanged, but the stripes were replaced by squares: against a scarlet background, a white rhombus with a green square inside.
In 1804, the vector of the country's development changed: Napoleon turned the republic into a kingdom. The changes were reflected in heraldry - the imperial eagle appeared on the state standard.
Another ten years passed, Napoleon was defeated, and the history of his empire ended. Italy again lost its unity, and with it the royal banner.
National symbol
Despite fragmentation, the green-white-red banner remained a sign of the national unification of the Risorgimento (il risorgimento - revival, renewal). Echoes of the Napoleonic banner and its colors continued to live in the heraldry of the Italian lands.
The Sardinian version of the tricolor - the blue-red coat of arms of Sardinia and a crown against a background of green, white and red stripes - became the state color for the entire Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946) precisely because the leader of the liberation movement against the Austrian occupation (Giuseppe Garibaldi) was from this region islands and went with like-minded people into battle under the flag of his native Sardinian kingdom.
The years of World War II were marked by the short-lived existence of the fascist Italian Republic in the north of the Apennine Peninsula.
Its symbol is the same tricolor, with a Roman eagle in the middle. With the end of the World War, the Italian flag lost its coat of arms and acquired a modern look, approved by the Constitution of 1947.
What do the colors mean?
The flag of Italy, according to the 1947 Constitution, has the following colors: “green”, “white”, “red”.
Until the beginning of the 21st century, no one thought about more accurately determining shades. But with the development of digital printing and computer design, this question has become urgent. Colors have acquired digital coding and precise descriptions. In official documents, the coloring of the flag according to the Pantone system is now described as follows: Scarlet Red, Fern Green, Bright White.
According to the generally accepted version, the meaning of the colors is as follows: green symbolizes hope, white is traditionally considered the color of faith, and red represents love. The Italians themselves ironically say that the coloring of their flag is simply a tribute to the national cuisine: red is tomatoes, white is cheese, and green is lettuce. In Russia, this interpretation of the symbol of the country that gave the world pizza and pasta is also very popular.
The tricolors of some countries are very similar to the Italian one. The flags of Mexico and Italy are often confused with each other. Their coloring is identical, but Mexico has a coat of arms in the center, which is not always used.
The coat of arms is not used on Mexico's naval banner, making it impossible for the Italian tricolor to become a universal national symbol, as is the case in France.
Less often, confusion arises with the tricolor of Ireland. The difference between the standards of the countries is in the color of the last stripe: red for Italy, orange for Ireland.
To distinguish them, it is enough to remember that red hair is very common in Ireland. The coloring is not the only difference: Ireland's tricolor is more square.
Another similar state symbol is that of Hungary.
The stripes of the same colors on the Hungarian standard are located horizontally, as on the Russian flag, the coloring is brighter, and the aspect ratio of the Hungarian tricolor is the same as that of Ireland (2:1).
Other countries whose flags are similar to Italy's include Cote d'Ivoire, India and Niger.
Few countries can boast of the same love for a national symbol as the inhabitants of the Apennines. National Flag Day (Festa del tricolore) is celebrated in Italy on January 7 and is of great importance for Italians. On this festive day, they decorate their houses with tricolors and wear clothes of the same colors.
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The symbolism of Italy is in many ways original and distinctive, because this European country has long roots, going back to the ancient era and even deeper. Therefore, Italy took part of its current symbolism, which is well-established including at the official level, from its main predecessor - Rome. But first things first.
Today, the main symbol of the country Italy is an equal-beam five-pointed star, known as “Stellone d"Italia” (literally from Italian - “Star of Italy”). The star is not “filled” with color, only its outline has a bright red tint. Historically, the five-pointed star was used in iconographic motifs of this region, but in a national context it first “made itself known" in the era of the Risorgimento, becoming the distinctive sign of the representatives of the movement of the same name. Since 1890, the “Star of Italy” has officially appeared on the coat of arms of the (already unified) state. Since then, it has been the national symbol of Italy (picture below), which embodies the image of a nation that has achieved unity and defeated all its enemies.
At the same time, the original symbolism of the "Stellone d" Italia emblem, which was known here in antiquity, is unknown. But the meaning of another national symbol of Italy - the cogwheel, which is also present on the modern coat of arms of this country - is known for sure. The cogwheel is an image of mass labor It is believed to embody the first article of the Italian Constitution, which states that Italy is a sovereign republic based on free labor.
Another symbol of the country of Italy, which is also present on the national coat of arms, is the olive branch. In principle, the meaning of this emblem is universal, the olive is a symbol of peace (this is how it is positioned - the embodiment of the eleventh article of the Italian Constitution, where the country rejects armed aggression as an instrument of foreign policy). However, knowing the history of this region even superficially, it is not entirely clear how legitimate it is to call the Italians a “peace-loving” people. On the other hand, the olive is one of the most common plants in Italy.
Another “plant” symbol of Italy (you can find a picture of the country’s coat of arms with all the listed emblems above) is an oak branch (if wider, just an oak). The symbolism of the oak here is no less obvious (and, it must be said, more realistic than the symbolism of the olive), it indicates the strength, resilience and courage of the Italian people. In addition, oak is the original symbol of wisdom, and given the ancient past of the region, this is fair.
Continuing the theme of floral emblems, it is worth mentioning that sometimes the daisy is also called the symbol of Italy, but this emblem is less local and during the era of Christianization of Europe it was widespread throughout the continent (here we must remember the universal symbolism of this flower in the context of its correlation with the image of the Virgin Mary).
Another truly ancient and sacred Italian symbol associated with its “pagan” past is the Capitoline she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus. Considering the mythological background of the image, the she-wolf (as the image of a protective mother) is indeed rightly called a symbol of ancient Rome and Italy, as the heir of this once powerful state.
The Italian Republic is a unique country, being at the same time one of the most ancient powers and a fairly young state. The fragmented duchies of Italy were finally united in the 19th century. Today it is one of the major powers, a member country (G8). The flag and coat of arms of Italy are integral elements of state symbols. Each of them has its own history and meaning.
Italian tricolor: two versions of birth
The history of the country's flag is quite interesting. The colors of the state symbol of Italy were established in his time by Napoleon. But at first the stripes were horizontal, not vertical, as they are now. The flag acquired its usual appearance only in 1798, and in 1805, when the country acquired the status of a kingdom, the green stripe was decorated with the image of a golden Napoleonic eagle. Only after the Second World War, in 1946, did he disappear from the public sphere. The coat of arms of Italy also underwent changes and got rid of the image of a bird that was present on it.
According to one version, the colors of the flag were taken from the colors of the Milanese police uniform. At first it was white and green, and since 1976, after the police were renamed in Italy, red was added to the tones of the uniform.
There is another unofficial, but rather unusual story of the appearance of the Italian flag. Once upon a time, during revolutionary unrest, protesters needed a symbol of the nation. This was not available, and it was necessary to urgently solve this problem. Then one of the participants in the rallies ran home, found three multi-colored rags and hastily sewed them together. The resulting cloth later became the Italian flag.
Flag of Italy today
The modern attribute of state symbols has three vertical stripes. The official version of the interpretation of this particular color combination is as follows: green denotes faith, white is a symbol of hope, and the red stripe represents love. Today's state emblem of Italy is also made in these same colors.
In 2005, the Italian parliament passed a law that provides for punishment for damaging the national flag and desecration of it in the form of a fine, the amount of which varies from 1000 to 1500 euros. Today, in case of desecration of a state symbol in public places, the offender will be forced to pay 10,000 euros.
History of the coat of arms: how a Roman professor wrote himself into history
The coat of arms of Italy, as it exists today, was approved by official decree two years later than the Italian flag, in 1948.
This event was preceded by a very strict competitive selection that lasted for two years. About a thousand works in black and white were presented to a specially created commission. A prerequisite for considering the sketch of the coat of arms was an image that symbolized the land and municipalities that make up Italy.
The competition was won by Paolo Paschetto, who at that time was a professor at the Institute of Higher Arts in Rome. He was paid a bonus and given the opportunity to create the final version of the coat of arms.
By coincidence, not everyone liked the winning sketch, which became the reason for an additional competition stage. However, fortune was clearly on the side of the lucky and talented professor, because he managed to win the second time. The work he did underwent slight adjustments and acquired color. In this form, the coat of arms of Italy exists to this day.
What's in your symbol, Italy?
As mentioned above, the colors of the Italian coat of arms echo those used in the national flag. This is a combination of white, green and red. Each coat of arms has a hidden meaning. Each country has its own. The coat of arms of Italy is no exception to this rule. What does each of its elements mean and what hidden message does it convey?
The star has been a symbol of the country since time immemorial and was also present on the coat of arms. It is believed that it illuminates the entire state and its lands with its radiance and leads all those who suffer to its shores, so that travelers do not go astray.
The gear depicted on the coat of arms represents the hard work of the Italian people. According to another version, this wheel with teeth symbolizes the battlements and towers of Ancient Rome.
The olive branch located to the left of the star signifies the friendliness of the Italians and their desire for peace with other nations. Interestingly, the olive is a very common tree in the country, one of the longest-living and perhaps the main source of food for many Italians. The best olive oil in the world is made from the fruits; olives are present in many national dishes and are constantly present on the table of almost every resident of Italy.
The branch of another tree, an oak, framing the star on the right is a symbol of the dignity and strength of the Italian nation.
When an ordinary person reads the description of the coat of arms of Italy without any explanation, it seems a little strange to him. Nevertheless, every element has meaning, and they are all connected with the distant past of this country.
The flag of Italy consists of three vertical stripes: green, white and red. There are several versions of why these particular colors were chosen. The official version says that green symbolizes faith, white – hope, and red – love. The colors of the flag were approved by Napoleon. Initially, the stripes were located horizontally.
The coat of arms of Italy features a white five-pointed star with red edges on top of a five-spoke cogwheel. The composition is framed by an olive branch on the left and an oak branch on the right. The branches are tied with a red ribbon, on which “Italian Republic” (Italian: REPUBBLICA ITALIANA) is written in capital white letters.
The five-pointed star means defense of the country. This symbol has been used since the end of the 18th century. The gear wheel refers to the first article of the constitution: “Italy is a republic founded on labor.” The olive branch symbolizes the internal and external essence of the country, its peacefulness and loyalty. The oak branch signifies the strength and dignity of the Italians. In addition, both branches, being typical representatives of the flora of Italy, symbolize its nature.
The coat of arms of Italy appeared on May 5, 1948. It was announced by the President of Italy Enrico de Nicola.
National anthem of Italy
The anthem of Italy is the "Song of the Italians" (Italian: Il Canto degli Italiani, also known as "The Brothers of Italy" (Italian: Fratelli d'Italia). It was composed by Goffredo Mameli in 1847. The music was composed by Michele Novaro. It became the national anthem used, but unofficially, since late 1946. Until now, the Senate of the Italian Republic has not made a corresponding amendment to the Constitution, and the “Song of the Italians” still remains the temporary anthem of the country.
