Data Card - Cohesion Policies, the Tricolour, and the Risorgimento

January 7th marks the anniversary of the birth of Italy’s first tricolour flag and has been declared National Flag Day. This celebration was established in 1997 to commemorate the bicentenary of the national flag of the Cispadane Republic—the green, white, and red flag that was flown for the first time in Reggio Emilia.

The same flag would later accompany the birth of the Republic through the Risorgimento and the unification of Italy, as stated in Article 12 of the Constitution.
The white, red, and green of the Tricolour symbolise a shared hope, summarised by Goffredo Mameli in his Canto degli Italiani: “Let one flag, one hope, unite us all.” This was written in 1847, on the eve of the great revolutionary wave of 1848 that swept across Italy and Europe, marking the beginning of the national Risorgimento.

This historical period is the focus of this Data Card, which highlights several initiatives funded by cohesion policies. These policies aim, among other goals, to promote territorial development through the protection and preservation of cultural heritage.