The Secret History Behind Italy's Flag

Italy's tricolor was born on the battlefield — decades before Italy was even one country.

Green, white, and red were first raised together on January 7, 1797, adopted by the short-lived Cispadane Republic in the north of Italy, inspired by the French Revolution's own tricolor. A lawyer named Giuseppe Compagnoni is remembered as the flag's first champion, proposing it as the symbol of that small republic — more than 60 years before there was a unified Italy to represent.

It took over six decades of fighting for the flag to become official. On March 17, 1861, it was proclaimed the flag of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy — the date printed on every Italy design in our catalog. Green for the land, white for the snowy Alps, red for the blood spilled fighting for unification.

A flag that outlived the tiny republic that first raised it, and outlasted every kingdom and war between — waiting more than sixty years for the country it was always meant to represent.

Shop the Italy collection → — or explore the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Story Cards page.