Sunday 14 September 2014

The Flag of Italy (Il Tricolore) from Italy


The front of the card shows the propaganda leaflet dropped over Vienna in 1918 by nationalist patriot and poet Gabriele d'Annunzio. The text reads: 
"VIENNESE!
Learn to know the Italians.
We are flying over Vienna; we could drop tons of bombs. All we are dropping on you is a greeting of three colors: the three colors of liberty.
We Italians do not make war on children, on old people, on women.
We are making war on your government, the enemy of national liberties, on your blind, stubborn, cruel government that can give you neither peace nor bread, and feeds you hatred and illusions.
VIENNESE!
You are famous for being intelligent. But why have you put on the Prussian uniform? By now, you see, the whole world has turned against you.
You want to continue the war? Continue it; it's your suicide. What do you hope for? The decisive victory promised to you by the Prussian generals? Their decisive victory is like the bread of Ukraine: You die waiting for it.
PEOPLE OF VIENNA, think of your own fates. Wake up!
LONG LIVE LIBERTY!
LONG LIVE ITALY!
LONG LIVE THE ENTENTE!"
In the background, the vertical tricolour of green, white, and red, with the arms of Savoy, which was adopted as the civil flag between 1861 and 1948. The stamps were issued in 2011 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy (one minisheet and one self-adhesive stamp) and they both depict the current green-white-red "Tricolore".

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