Il tricolore

Flag represented people’s hopes for a united Italy

The Italian flag, with its panels of green, white and red, was first hoisted on this day in 1797 in Reggio Emilia.

Il tricolore
Photo: Jacopo Prisco
(CC BY-SA 3.0)

Long before Italy became a united country, an early form of the tricolore was being flown in a part of the country then known as the Cispadane Republic, where it had been agreed to make universal “the standard or flag of three colours, green, white and red”.

The Cispadane Republic (Repubblica Cispadana) was founded with the protection of the French Army in 1796 in what is now Emilia Romagna. The republic organised a congress on 7 January in Reggio Emilia and adopted the first ever tricolore as its flag.

But it was many years and many battles later before the flag as we know it now was formally adopted by the Italian republic in 1948.

It is thought the Cispadane republic chose panels of red and white because they were the colours of the flag of Milan and green because it was the colour of the uniform of the Milan civic guard.

Some believe the green panel (on the hoist side of the flag as it is used now) represents Italy’s plains and hills, the white panel, the snow capped alps and the red panel, the blood spilt in Italy’s fight for independence from foreign domination.

A religious interpretation is that green represents hope, white represents faith and red represents charity.

Football fans delight in waving the tricolore
when Italy competes for the World Cup

Many forms of the flag were adopted in different parts of Italy in the years before unification, but the tricolore became the symbol of the Risor- 
gimento, the movement fighting for independence.

In 1861 the flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia was declared to be the flag of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. This was the Italian tricolore with the emblem of the House of Savoy on it.

The flag remained like this until the birth of the republic in 1946. Then the flag of green, white and red vertical panels was formally adopted.

Italians fly the flag with particular pride when the national football team competes in the World Cup and it was prominent at the 150th celebrations of the unification of Italy in 2011.

Travel tip:

Reggio Emilia, where the first ever tricolore was hoisted, is a city in the Emilia Romagna region surrounded by medieval walls built in a hexagonal design. It has a wealth of 16th century palaces and churches and is famous for producing Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

The Italian flag flies at the momument
to Victor Emanuel II in Rome
Photo: Nicolai Schafer (CC BY-SA 2.0 DE)

Travel tip:

Rome remained under French control after the first Italian parliament proclaimed Victor Emanuel II  King of Italy, despite attempts by nationalists to liberate it. But after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, Napoleon III withdrew some of his troops. Italian soldiers seized their chance and after a brief bombardment entered Rome on 20 September 1870 through a breach in the walls at Porta Pia. Victor Emanuel took up residence in the Quirinale Palace, the tricolore was hoisted and Italy was declared officially united. A marble plaque commemorating the liberation of Rome was placed near Porta Pia where the Italian troops first got through.

Home

Befana

A good witch who traditionally sweeps away problems

Children in Italy will be waking up on this day hoping to find that Befana has left them some presents while they have been sleeping.

A puppet depicting Befana
Photo: Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Although Christmas is almost over, the eve of 6 January is when a kind witch is supposed to visit the good children in Italy and leave them presents.

Traditionally, children who have been naughty are supposed to receive only a lump of coal and those who have been stupid are supposed to receive only a carrot.

But in reality, many children throughout Italy will expect good presents from Befana today.

Befana is also sometimes referred to as La Vecchia (the old woman) and La Strega (the witch). But she is supposed to be a similar character to Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus.

It is believed her name derives from La Festa dell’Epifania (the feast of the Epiphany).

Befana is usually portrayed in illustrations as an old lady riding a broomstick, wearing a black shawl and covered in soot because she enters the children’s homes through the chimney.

Another tradition is that Befana sweeps the floor of the house before she leaves, symbolising the sweeping away of the problems of the previous year.

Many households will leave out a small glass of wine and a plate with small portions of the regional or local specialties for Befana.

Some lucky children in Italy will have already received presents from Santa Claus on 25 December and will wake up today to find another delivery from Befana.

The famous Christmas market in Rome's Piazza
Navona. Photo: Mitravabanerjee (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Travel tip:

Piazza Navona in Rome is the site of a Christmas market, which lasts till Epiphany, where toys, sweets and craft items are on sale. Many people go down to the market on the night of 6 January as there is a legend that Befana will appear at a window overlooking the square. Everyone jokes about it while enjoying the festive atmosphere and buying the goods on sale.

Travel tip:

The home of Befana is traditionally supposed to be Urbania, a small town south west of Urbino in Le Marche. A national Befana festival is held there every year between 2 and 6 January and a special post box is set up to receive mail for Befana. Urbania has medieval walls and a Ducal Palace and is well known in Italy as a centre for majolica and ceramics production.

Home

Umberto Eco – novelist and semiotician

Prolific author became fascinated with signs and symbols

Academic and writer Umberto Eco was born on this day in 1932 in Alessandria in Piedmont.

Umberto Eco

He is best known for his mystery novel, The Name of the Rose - Il Nome della Rosa, which was first published in Italian in 1980, but he is also a respected expert on semiotics, the branch of linguistics concerned with signs and symbols.

Eco studied medieval literature and philosophy at the University of Turin and after graduating worked in television as well returning to lecture at the University of Turin.

He has since been a visiting professor at a number of American universities and has received honorary doctorates from universities in America and Serbia.

As well as producing fiction, he has published books on medieval aesthetics, literary criticism, media culture, anthropology and philosophy. He has also helped to found an important new approach in contemporary semiotics and to launch a journal on semiotics.

Eco set his first novel, The Name of the Rose, in a 14th century monastery with a Franciscan friar as the detective. The book has been described as ‘an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory’. In 1986 it was made into a film starring Sean Connery.

Buy The Name Of The Rose, Foucault's Pendulum and Numero Zero.

His novel Foucault’s Pendulum, published in 1988, is about three book editors who decide to have a bit of fun with what they think is a fictional plot to take over the world by a secret order descended from the Knights Templar. But when the story takes over and the deaths start mounting up they are forced to make a frantic search for the truth.

Eco’s most recent novel, Numero Zero, has now been translated from the original Italian by Richard Dixon. First published in English in November 2015, it has been described as being about ‘Mussolini, media hoaxes, gossip and murder’.

Now 84, Eco divides his time between living in his apartment in Milan and his holiday home near Urbino.

UPDATE - Umberto Eco died in Milan in February 2016.

Travel tip:

Alessandria is an historic city about 90 km south east of Turin in Piedmont. It is easy to reach as it is on the Turin–Genoa railway line and is a hub for six other railway lines. It has 14th and 15th century churches in the centre to look round as well as a museum devoted to the Battle of Marengo, which was fought near the town in 1800 between Austrian and French forces.

A view over the walled city of Urbino
Photo: Zyance (CC BY-SA 2.5)

Travel tip:

Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region with a remarkable legacy of Renaissance architecture. One of the highlights is the Palazzo Ducale, built in the 15th century for Federico II da Montefeltro and now home to one of the most important collections of Renaissance paintings in the world.

Home

Carlo Levi – writer and painter

Author and doctor who highlighted poverty in southern Italy

The anti-fascist writer, painter and doctor, Carlo Levi, died on this day in Rome in 1975.

Carlo Levi, anti-fascist writer and
author of Christ Stopped at Eboli

He is best remembered for his book ‘Christ Stopped at Eboli’ (Cristo si è fermato a Eboli), an account of the time he spent in political exile in a remote, impoverished part of Italy.

Levi was born in Turin in 1902. His father was a wealthy Jewish physician and Levi went to the University of Turin to study medicine after finishing school.

While at University he became active in politics and after graduating he turned his attention to painting.

But he never completely abandoned medicine and moved to Paris to continue his medical research while painting.

After returning to Italy, Levi founded an anti-fascist movement in 1929. As a result he was arrested and sent into exile to a remote area of Italy called Lucania (now renamed Basilicata).

He encountered extreme poverty, which had been unknown in the north where he grew up. As well as writing and painting while he was in exile, he served as a doctor to help the poor villagers he lived among.

When he was released from his political exile he moved back to France but on his return to Italy he was arrested again and imprisoned in Florence.

After the fall of Mussolini he was released from prison and he wrote ‘Christ Stopped at Eboli’ about his experiences living in Lucania.

At the end of the war he moved to Rome where he continued to paint, work as a political journalist and write books.

He died of pneumonia at the age of 72 on 4 January, 1975.

In 1979, ‘Christ Stopped at Eboli’ was made into a film directed by Francesco Rosi.

The hill town of Aliano in Basilicata was the
inspiration for Levi's fictional town of Gagliano
Photo: Michele Pinassi (CC BY 2.5 IT)

Travel tip:

Aliano, a town about 90 kilometres from Matera in the region of Basilicata, was the inspiration for the fictional town of Gagliano in Levi’s book ‘Christ Stopped at Eboli’. Located on top of rocky hills, it was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1980. Many residents still speak alianese dialect and keep up ancient traditions to bring themselves good luck and ward off ‘the evil eye.’ For more information visit www.parcolevi.it


Travel tip:

Turin University in Via Giuseppe Verdi dates back to 1404 but officially became a university after reforms were made to it by Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia in the 18th century. The Faculty of Medicine attended by Carlo Levi is proud of its 600-year history, which it counts back to 1412 when it was founded by a local doctor, Antonio Cusano.

Home