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Piedmont Region (Italy)

Regione Piemonte

Last modified: 2005-11-19 by dov gutterman
Keywords: italy | piedmont | piemonte | savoia |
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image by Roberto Breschi from CISV


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Piedmont Symbols

The gonfalon and the coat of arms were adopted on the 16th January 1984. The coat of arms has a square shape. It is gules a cross argent a lambel azure. The gonfalon is vertically red-blue-orange with the coat of arms in the middle and the words Regione Piemonte under. These colors are the colors of the Republic of Alba which was proclaimed on the 25th of April 1796. The official flag of the region adopted on the 24th November 1995 is red bordered white (thin) and blue with a white cross charged on top with a blue lambel. The region adopted on the 17th June 1997 a law regulating the use of this flag.
Pascal Vagnat, 22 September 1998

The "flag" for piemonte is really the arms of the prince of piemonte, traditional title of the eldest son of the king of sardinia: it shows the arms of savoy differenced by a label azure.
Francois Velde, 12 April 1996

The official Piemonte's regional flag have been adopted circa 26 October 1995 and also has a thin white (inner) and blue (outher) borders on all sides.
Mario Fabretto, 20 September 1996

At <www.arpnet.it> there is a sketchy image and a lot of text in Italian on the history of the Piedmont flag. Authors seem to be from an independista club - so it might be biased.
Jarig Bakker, 11 May 1999

I have attached an image of that flag, with the official colours and proportions. The flag is red with a white cross and a superimposed blue lambel, the whole is surrounded by a blue border and the flag itself is golden fringed. Depending on the context the flag may be fringed on the top, bottom and fly (like here). In that case there is an orange ribbon attached at the hoist. Orange-Blue-Red are the colours of the gonfanon of the Region. In other cases, like the flag on a balcony, there is a fringe on the hoist side, on the fly and on the bottom of the flag. If other cases the flag is entirely fringed. The official colours are blue: 3005 and red:185. (These colours are quite light for me, either on the screen as on the paper when printed. Can anyone confirm?)
Source: Regional Council of Piedmont.
Pascal Vagnat, 12 May 1999

In Piedmont, the law says the regional flag has to fly together with the national flag and the EU flag in a number of occasion (e.g. when a town council or the regional parliament is meeting).
Piedmont's flag dates back to 1424, and is recognised as the official regional flag by a law of 1995.
Silvio Sandrone, 20 October 1999

There are two versions of that flag: one with a blue border, and one without a blue border. That last version was adopted officially in 1995, with a gold fringe and an orange ribbon.
Pascal Vagnat, 20 October 1999


The Gonfalone


image by Mello Luchtenberg, 14 September 2001

Based on a drawing at <www.italonet.com.br>.
Mello Luchtenberg, 14 September 2001


Origin of the Flag

the story of Piemont flag ("el Drapo'") is strictly related to Savoia dinasty.
The glorious Drapo' could derive from the war-flag of Holy Roman Empire or from Pietro I who abandoned his CoA (an Imperial Eagle) and adopted a flag similar to the English one, due to his permanence in that country as Duke of Richmond (1241). In fact between 1188 and 1277 English Kingdom used a red flag with a argented cross.
From 1263 that flag was always used by Savoia, in some variants. It was *officially* adopted by Amedeo V, Conte of Savoia from 1285. It seem that its firts use was in 1310 in Turin in occasion of the meeting between Amedeo V and his cousin Emperor Arrigo VII.


image by Matteo Colaone, 24 August 2000

In order to distingue Savoia-Piemont flag in the Mediterranean Sea from Malta one, were added the letters F.E.R.T. in white. I suppose it stands for: "FORTITUDO EIUS RHODUM TENUIT", (referred to Amedeo V courage in 1310) or otherwise "FOEDERE ET RELIGIONE TENEMUR".


image by Matteo Colaone, 24 August 2000

Probably from 1366 was added a blue "bordering" in honour of Maria: this also originated the little edging of Sabaudian CoA in Italy Monarchic flag (1848). The blue "Lambello" (="label"?) with three "pendenti" was added in 1418 for an Heraldic cause (it indicated that SAVOIA were Princes of Piedmont).
I suppose the right rapport shold be 1:1 or 1:1,25.
Matteo Colaone, 24 August 2000


Flags in use

In today tourism section of the daily "Yediot Akhronot" there is a photo of one of Piedmont towns (probably Casale Monferrato) from which we can that they are using a simpler variant of Piedmont flag (white st. george cross on red)
Dov Gutterman, 30 September 1999