Any idea what the colors red, white, and green on the Italian flag represent? The answer might be in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Dante wrote that there are three cardinal virtues: hope, faith, and charity. Green symbolizes hope, white symbolizes faith, and red symbolizes charity.

How do the colors appear on the flag? The green is next to the pole, the white is the middle section, and the red is at the end, a design inspired by the French Revolution. The king’s coat of arms was added to the white section when Italy was united, but when Italy became a republic, the Savoy coat of arms was removed.

 

The national tricolor is honored at all public events. When displayed with other flags it occupies the place of honor, that is at the highest point or to the right. And like the United States’ red, white, and blue, the flag is raised at dawn, lowered at sunset, and flown at half mast in times of mourning.

Burn or deface the Italian flag? Never! Italian law provides for punishment of one to three years in prison.