Countries

Italy

A peninsula shaped like a boot, unified into one kingdom only in 1861 after centuries of separate city-states and foreign rule. Home to more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country, and to Vatican City, a sovereign nation entirely enclosed within Rome.

The Colosseum, an ancient amphitheatre in Rome, Italy

The Colosseum, Rome

Photo: FeaturedPics, CC BY-SA 4.0

Green, white and red vertical bands, adopted under Napoleonic influence in 1797 and readopted as the flag of the Italian Republic in 1946. Green for the hills and plains, white for the Alps, red for the wars of independence.

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