Italy: few countries in the world have as much history as this peninsula country has. At one point, the city of Rome, and thus Italy itself, was the center of the world. Today, Italy remains a major tourism destination, and the Vatican, the heart of the Catholic Church, is situated within the country, giving Italy a religious importance, too. If you're from this boot-shaped country or are simply in love with it, you might want to add the Italia Shield Patch to your clothing. It's listed as one of the Flag Patches, although the patch itself is not a flag.
Instead, this patch is shaped like a shield. It's almost rectangular, but it comes to a point at the bottom. The top of the patch says 'ITALIA' in white on a black background. The main part of the shield is made up of the Italian flag. This rectangle is divided into thirds. The left third is a vertical strip of green; the middle is a stripe of white; and the right section is a vertical strip of red. This flag was first used by the Cispadane Republic in 1797. Many small republics formed in Italy during this time as Napoleon and his French army moved through the country. This flag was inspired by the French tricolor flag. Red and white were, at the time, the colors of the flag of Milan, while green was the color of the uniform worn by the civic guards of the time.
The shield patch measures 2.5 by 3.25 inches. It can be sewn on to leather materials using the thick white die-cut borders. If you're not putting it on leather, you can iron it on.
