0250 Giulieta e Romeo vintage poster from Verona, Italy

Sent: 04.01.2018

Received 17.01.2018

Travel time: 13 days

Sender Gerg from Italy via postcrossing platform

0146 Italy Flag of country FOTW87

Sent: 07.07.2016

Received 19.07.2016

Travel time 12 days

Sender Myself from Imola, during my trip in Italy

http://postcardsmarket.com/product/italy-fw/

The flag of Italy (bandiera d'Italia, often referred to in Italian as il Tricolore; Italian: [il trikoˈloːre]) is a tricolour featuring three equally-sized vertical pales of green, white and red, with the green at the hoist side. Its current form has been in use since 18 June 1946 and was formally adopted on 1 January 1948.

The first entity to use the Italian tricolour was the Cisalpine Republic in 1797, which supplanted Milan after Napoleon's victorious army crossed Italy in 1796. The colours chosen by the Cispadane Republic were red and white, which were the colours of the recently conquered flag of Milan; and green, which was the colour of the uniform of the Milanese civic guard. During this time, many small French-proxy republics of Jacobin inspiration supplanted the ancient absolute Italian states and almost all, with variants of colour, used flags characterised by three bands of equal size, clearly inspired by the French model of 1790.

Some have attributed particular values to the colours, and a common interpretation is that the green represents the country's plains and the hills; white, the snow-capped Alps; and red, blood spilt in the Wars of Italian Independence and Unification. A more religious interpretation is that the green represents hope, the white represents faith, and the red represents charity; this references the three theological virtues.

0115 Postcard Ballerinas watch Skittles Denham Beetle Fair Buckinghamshire - John Gay 1955

Sent: 03.05.2016

Received 05.05.2016

Travel time 2 days

Sender- Radu - from Italy

0066 Carnevale di Venezia postcard

Sent: 13.02.2018

Received: 01.03.2018

Travel time: 16 days

Sender Raluca Istrate, a Romanian postcrosser and friend, who is living now in Italy. Thank you so much Raluca!

The text in Romanian says that in 13 of February is the day of Venice Carnival! 

It's said that the Carnival of Venice was started from a victory of the Venice Republic against the Patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrico di Treven in the year 1162. In the honour of this victory, the people started to dance and gather in San Marco Square. Apparently, this festival started on that period and became official in the Renaissance. In the seventeenth century, the baroque carnival was a way to save the prestigious image of Venice in the world.It was very famous during the eighteenth century. It encouraged licence and pleasure, but it was also used to protect Venetians from present and future anguish.However, under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor and later Emperor of Austria, Francis II, the festival was outlawed entirely in 1797 and the use of masks became strictly forbidden. It reappeared gradually in the nineteenth century, but only for short periods and above all for private feasts, where it became an occasion for artistic creations.

After a long absence, the Carnival returned in 1979.The Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and sought to use the traditional Carnival as the centerpiece of its efforts. The redevelopment of the masks began as the pursuit of some Venetian college students for the tourist trade. Since then, approximately 3 million visitors come to Venice every year for the Carnival. One of the most important events is the contest for la maschera più bella ("the most beautiful mask") which will be judged by a panel of international costume and fashion designers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice )

Italy Mailbox

Poste Italiane ( https://www.posteitaliane.it )

Poste Italiane is Italy's largest service provider and has the most employees of any company in the country. Our group, an important partner to Italian families and businesses for over 150 years, has succeeded in keeping pace with changing times and innovating without compromising its values. We provide post and logistics services and we are also among the main players in the financial services and insurance market in Italy.

Our network of nearly 13,000 post offices – unparalleled in Italy in terms of its size and reach - and our 30,000 delivery personnel make us a key component of Italian society. The strength of our network allows us to serve local communities and offer equal opportunities to all Italians: we provide our 30 million customers (individuals, companies and the government) with a wide range of simple, transparent, easy-to-use and innovative services designed to improve the lives of citizens and make companies more competitive.

Mailbox in Italy photo by me, in Rome - during my trip in July 2016