TheStella d'Italia ("Star of Italy"), popularly known asStellone d'Italia ("Great Star of Italy"),[1] is afive-pointed white star, which has symbolizedItaly for many centuries. It is the oldestnational symbol of Italy, since it dates back toGraeco-Roman mythology[2] whenVenus, associated with the West as an evening star, was adopted to identify theItalian peninsula. From an allegorical point of view, theStella d'Italiametaphorically represents the shining destiny of Italy.[3]
In the early 16th century it began to be frequently associated withItalia turrita, thenational personification of the Italian peninsula. TheStella d'Italia was adopted as part of theemblem of Italy in 1947, where it is superimposed on a steelcogwheel, all surrounded by anoak branch and anolive branch.
From anallegorical point of view, the Star of Italy metaphorically represents the shining destiny of Italy.[3] Its unifying value is equal to that of theflag of Italy.[2] In 1947, theStella d'Italia was inserted at the center of theemblem of Italy, which was designed by Paolo Paschetto and which is the iconic symbol identifying theItalian State.[4]
The Italian Star is also recalled by some honors. The Italian Star is recalled by theColonial Order of the Star of Italy, decoration of theKingdom of Italy which was intended to celebrate theItalian Empire, as well as by theOrder of the Star of Italian Solidarity, the first decoration established byRepublican Italy, which was replaced in 2011 by the Order of the Star of Italy, second civil honorary title in importance of the Italian State.[5]
The Star of Italy is also recalled by the stars worn on the collars ofItalian military uniforms and appears on thefigurehead of theItalian Navy. In the civil sphere, the Italian Star is the central symbol of the emblem of theClub Alpino Italiano.[6]
The symbolism of a star associated with Italy first appeared in the writings of the ancient Greek poetStesicoro, from whom it passed on to poets such asVirgil. The oldestnational symbol of Italy,[2] it originated from the combination ofVenus, as an evening star, with the West[7] and therefore with the Italian peninsula, one of which wasEsperia, or "land of Hesperus, the star of the Evening consecrated to Venus".[7][8] This symbolism was already attested inarchaic Greek literature, in 6th century BC by the poetStesichorus, in the poemIliupersis (Fall of Troy) that created the legend ofAeneas which described his return to the land of his ancestors (Italy) after the defeat ofTroy, under the leadership of Venus.[2]
The story of Aeneas' journey to the Italian coast from the maternal star of Venus is then resumed inRoman times byPliny the Elder, byMarcus Terentius Varro and byVirgil, giving rise to a double tradition: the political tradition ofCaesaris Astrum, the star ofJulius Caesar that had originated from the appearance of a comet star shortly after his death and which was also recalled byAugustus as an auspicious sign and as a prefiguration of thePax Romana,[9] and the toponymy and literary tradition of Greek origin ofItaly calledEsperia, the "land on which the evening star sets" that is Venus. The merger of the two traditions associated the star with Italy, the center of theRoman Empire and never considered a province, having a special administrative status, being divided into the Augustan regions.[9]
The first association between the star (theStella Veneris) and themural crown (theCorona muralis) ofItalia turrita, from which the so-calledItalia turrita e stellata, is also from the Roman era and dates back to the time of Augustus.[9]
After a period of disuse in theMiddle Ages, the Star of Italy was rediscovered during theRenaissance.[10] The symbolic meaning of Caesar's star as the precious tricolor star-shaped jewel, studded with greenemeralds, whitepearls and redrubies, preserved at theCastelvecchio Museum inVerona, dates back to the 14th century, is therefore still uncertain. One meaning could be that it was built for the condottiereCangrande I della Scala,lord of Verona in whichDante Alighieri saw the new Caesar capable of unifying Italy. However, the star may also refer toSirius, with the green, white and red colors associated with the threetheological virtues.[11]
In 1603, in the second edition of his treatiseIconologia,Cesare Ripa associated the symbol with theItalia turrita, and created a modern version of Italy's allegorical personification: a woman with a star on top of a towered crown, therefore supplied with theCorona muralis and theStella Veneris.[10] Ripa's treatise inspired many artists likeCanova,Bisson,Maccari,Balla,Sironi, until the 1920s.[12]
The allegorical image of the towered and star-topped Italy became popular during theunification of Italy, spreading through a large iconography of statues, friezes and decorative objects, tourist-guide covers, postcards, prints and magazines' illustrations.[13] During the unification of Italy, evoking Aeneas' journey toward the Italian coasts, patriotGiuseppe Mazzini mentioned again the national star's myth that afterwards was recovered byCavour and the newSavoyard kings of Italy.[3] The reigning house even tried to get possession of it, suggesting that it was theStella Sabauda ("Savoys' star"), a family heraldic pattern that is not mentioned in any historical document preceding the unification of Italy.[13]
After the unification of Italy, the presence of enormous symbolic stars on the honor stage of the official ceremonies in which KingVictor Emmanuel II of Italy participated led the Italians more and more to define it, in an affective way, as the "star" that protects Italy.[2] On the Italian metallic coinage theStella d'Italia is present on all copper emissions already from 1861 until 1907, as well as on all the coins of KingUmberto I of Italy.[14] TheStella d'Italia is also recalled by the coat of arms of theKingdom of Italy used from 1870 to 1890. In 1871, due to the royal decree n. 571 of December 13, 1871 signed by the ministerCesare Ricotti-Magnani, theStella d'Italia became one of the distinctive signs of theItalian Armed Forces, the so-called "stars".[6]
TheStella d'Italia is also mentioned in the patriotic music pieceTripoli bel suol d'amore, which was written in 1911 just before the start of theItalo-Turkish War, a military campaign forming part of theItalian colonial wars to propagate the imminent war of the Kingdom of Italy against theOttoman Empire aimed at the conquest ofLibya.[15]
TheStella d'Italia was one of the symbols of the journey by train on theAquileia-Rome line towards the capital of Italy of the body of theItalian Unknown Soldier.[16] The coffin was placed on agun carriage and placed on agoods wagon designed for the occasion by Guido Cirilli.[17] The ceremony had its epilogue in Rome with the solemn burial at theAltare della Patria on 4 November 1921 on the occasion ofNational Unity and Armed Forces Day.[17] A bronzeStella d'Italia was placed on one of the two locomotives that pulled the railway hearse, while a second one was represented on the main building of theRoma Tiburtina railway station, which received the convoy in the final destination and which was known at the time as "Portonaccio station".[16]
The protective or providential meaning of the star was then adopted byItalian Fascism and theItalian resistance movement, which placed it on the flag of theNational Liberation Committee, as well as by the republicans and the monarchists on the occasion of theinstitutional referendum of 2 June 1946, which took place according to the end ofWorld War II.[2] In 1947, theStella d'Italia was included in the center of the officialEmblem of Italy, drawn by the designerPaolo Paschetto.[4] From an allegorical point of view, theStella d'Italia metaphorically represents the shining destiny of Italy.[3]
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