The first entity to use the Italian flag was the Cispadane Republic in 1796, after Napoleon's army crossed Italy. During this time, many small republics based on the Jacobian model, were formed and almost all used the French tricolour with different colours. The colours chosen by the Cispadane Republic were red and white, the colours of the Flag of Milan, and green which was the colour of the uniform of the Lombard Legion.
Some have tried to attribute some particular values to the colours and a common interpretation is that green is for the plains and the hills, white for the snowy Alps, and red for the blood spilt in the Italian Independence wars. A more religious interpretation is that green represents hope, white represents faith and red represents charity. This interpretation connects to the three theological virtues.
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