First Appearance of Italian Colours

Date: August 21, 1789 • Location: Genoa, Italy

The national colours of Italy are green, white, and red, collectively known in Italian as il Tricolore. The three Italian national colours appeared for the first time in Genoa on 21 August 1789, on the cockade of Italy shortly after the outbreak of the French Revolution; on 11 October 1796, they were used for the first time in Milan on a military banner, while on 7 January 1797, in Reggio Emilia, they appeared for the first time on a flag.