Stella d’Italia
The Stella d’Italia or Stellone d'Italia (Italian: "Star of Italy" or "Great Star of Italy") is a five-pointed star symbolizing Italy. It was adopted as part of the national emblem in 1947.
The Star and the National personification
In Iliupersis ("The Fall of Troy"), Stesichorus mentions Stella Veneris (Hesperus, Venus) guiding Aeneas to Italy.[citation needed] Varro and Vergil introduced the political tradition of Caesaris Astrum ("the star of Caesar") and the tradition of Italy as Esperia.[citation needed]
In 1603, in the second edition of his treatise Iconologia, Cesare Ripa associated the symbol with the Italia turrita, and creates a modern version of Italy’s allegorical personification: woman with a star on top of a towered crown, therefore supplied with the Corona muralis and the Stella Veneris. Ripa’s treatise inspired many artists like Canova, Bisson, Maccari, Balla, Sironi, until the 1920s. The allegorical image of the towered and star-topped Italy became popular during the Risorgimento, spreading through a large iconography of statues, friezes and decorative objects, tourist-guide covers, postcards, prints and magazines’ illustrations. In the Risorgimento period, evoking Aeneas’ journey toward the Italian coasts, patriot Giuseppe Mazzini mentioned again the national star’s myth that afterwards was recovered by Cavour and the new Savoyard kings of Italy. The reigning house even tried to get possession of it, suggesting that it was the Stella Sabauda (Savoys’ star), a family heraldic pattern about is not mentioned in any historical document preceding the unification of Italy.
In 1947, the Stella d’Italia was included in the centre of the Italian Republic official emblem, drawn by the designer Paolo Paschetto.
Gallery
The Stellone of Italy in a postcard of the First World War, 1915-1918.
L’Italia turrita e stellata, 1861, Palazzo Reale of Naples. Note the little star on the crown.
Lithograph of the Italian patriot Ciro Menotti with the Star of Italy above his head (1875).
Monument to the Expedition of the Thousand in Quarto dei Mille. Note the star on the top.
Italian destroyer Andrea Doria (D 553) with the Star of Italy as figurehead.
Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy with the star on the top.
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See also
- Italia turrita
- Emblem of Italy
- National symbols of Italy
Bibliography
- Lista, Giovanni (2011). La Stella d’Italia. Milan: Edizioni Mudima. ISBN 978-88-96817-06-3.
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