HISTORY
Since ancient times, Etruscan, Celtic, Greeks and other cultures have flourished in the territory of present-day Italy. Rome began as a small farming community in the tenth century BC, eventually emerging as the dominant power on the peninsula and conquering most of the then known world.
Construction of the campanile of the cathedral of Pisa (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa) begun in 1173. It would take two centuries to complete.
Italian culture thrived during the Renaissance, producing artists, architects, engineers, scientists and thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. Italian explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci discovered new routes to the New World, helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery.
Green, white and red, the national colors of Italy, first appeared on a tricolor cockade in Genoa on August 21, 1789, shortly after the outbreak of the French Revolution.
The first official Italian tricolor flag was adopted by the government of the Cispadane Republic on January 7, 1797.
Before 1861, Italy was made up of smaller kingdoms and city-states. In 1860, Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi took control of Sicily, creating the Kingdom of Italy the following year. Vittorio Emanuele II was made the King.
After three years of political turmoil in Italy, Benito Mussolini took power by having his "Black Shirts," march on Rome and threaten to take over the government. King Vittorio Emanuele III gave in, asked him to form a government on and made him prime minister on October 31, 1922.
Mussolini had established a fascist dictatorship by the end of 1927. Only the King and his own Fascist party could challenge his power.
On June 10, 1940, Mussolini sent Italy into the Second World War on the side of the Axis countries. After initially advancing in British Somaliland and Egypt, the Italians were defeated in East Africa, Greece, Russia and North Africa.
Allied forces launched the first of four assaults on January 17, 1944 on Monte Cassino, a historic hilltop abbey founded in AD 529 by Benedict of Nursia. The intention was break through the Winter Line held by Axis forces and seize Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties.
The current form of the Italian flag has been in use since June 19, 1946. The flag of Italy is often referred to in Italy as il Tricolore because of its three colors. Green represents hope, white represents faith, and red represents charity.
In February 1947, Italy signed a peace treaty with the Allies losing all the colonies and some territorial areas (Istria and parts of Dalmatia).
In 2010, the Italian government had a fleet of 629,000 official cars: ten times as many, as the US government.
Italy is home to the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites – more than 40.
The Italians speaks a national language, which was based on the Tuscan dialect, but each region still speaks its own dialect.
With almost 40 million visitors, Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world.
Italy is unique in that, there are two microstates that are fully independent even though they are surrounded by Italy. Such is the case of the Vatican City and the Republic of San Marino.
The Italian Wolf is considered the national animal of Italy.
87.8% of Italians said in a 2006 poll that they were Roman Catholic. Only just over a third said they were active members (36.8%).
Source Italoamericano.org
The first official Italian tricolor flag was adopted by the government of the Cispadane Republic on January 7, 1797.
Before 1861, Italy was made up of smaller kingdoms and city-states. In 1860, Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi took control of Sicily, creating the Kingdom of Italy the following year. Vittorio Emanuele II was made the King.
After three years of political turmoil in Italy, Benito Mussolini took power by having his "Black Shirts," march on Rome and threaten to take over the government. King Vittorio Emanuele III gave in, asked him to form a government on and made him prime minister on October 31, 1922.
Mussolini had established a fascist dictatorship by the end of 1927. Only the King and his own Fascist party could challenge his power.
Allied forces launched the first of four assaults on January 17, 1944 on Monte Cassino, a historic hilltop abbey founded in AD 529 by Benedict of Nursia. The intention was break through the Winter Line held by Axis forces and seize Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties.
On June 2, 1946, Italians voted in a referendum to decide the future of their country's government. The results were a landslide victory for the republic, with 54.3% of voters choosing to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. King Umberto II, who had ascended to the throne just two months earlier following the abdication of his father, King Victor Emmanuel III, was forced to flee the country. He died in exile in Portugal in 1983.
The referendum was seen as a way for Italians to express their desire for a new beginning after the devastation of World War II. The war had left Italy in ruins, and the country was struggling to rebuild. Many Italians felt that a republic would be better equipped to lead the country into the future.
Festa della Repubblica, also known as Italian National Day or Republic Day, is celebrated on June 2nd each year in Italy. It commemorates the day in 1946 when the Italian people voted in a referendum to abolish the monarchy and establish the Italian Republic. The Festa della Repubblica is a significant national holiday in Italy and is marked by various ceremonies, parades, and events throughout the country.
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| Ballot paper used in the referendum. |
The current form of the Italian flag has been in use since June 19, 1946. The flag of Italy is often referred to in Italy as il Tricolore because of its three colors. Green represents hope, white represents faith, and red represents charity.
In February 1947, Italy signed a peace treaty with the Allies losing all the colonies and some territorial areas (Istria and parts of Dalmatia).
FUN ITALY FACTS
In 2010, the Italian government had a fleet of 629,000 official cars: ten times as many, as the US government.
Italy is home to the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites – more than 40.
The Italians speaks a national language, which was based on the Tuscan dialect, but each region still speaks its own dialect.
With almost 40 million visitors, Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world.
Italy is unique in that, there are two microstates that are fully independent even though they are surrounded by Italy. Such is the case of the Vatican City and the Republic of San Marino.
The Italian Wolf is considered the national animal of Italy.
87.8% of Italians said in a 2006 poll that they were Roman Catholic. Only just over a third said they were active members (36.8%).
Source Italoamericano.org
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