The Stella d’Italia
Encyclopedia
The Stella d’Italia is the most ancient identity symbol of the Italian land
. In modern times it has been associated with the Italia Turrita
(Towered Italy), the ancient allegorical representation of the Italian peninsula.
, in his poem Iliupersis (The Fall of Troy) creates the legend of Aeneas
: escaping from Troy
, seized and fired by the Greeks, he goes back to Italy, the land of his ancestors. The tale of Aeneas’ travels by the sea, guided by the maternal Stella Veneris toward the Italian coasts, was later re-used by Varro
and Vergil, who give birth to the political tradition of Caesaris Astrum (the star of Caesar) and to the geographical tradition of Italy as Esperia, from the ancient name Greeks gave to it. Both traditions are related to the evening star that identifies Italy as "the land of sunset" but also to the star of Venus
, the goddess of love as universal force, which identifies Italy as land of Eros too, sung as such by poets.
and several other cities of central Italy from 91 to 88 BC. Under the emperor Augustus
, an allegorical representation of Italy as Saturnia Tellus was sculpted in marble on Ara Pacis
’ external wall (13-9 BC) in Rome. Another allegory of Italy appears on the coins coined during the reign of emperor Nerva
in 97 AD. The representation of Italia Turrita was proposed under the emperor Trajan
, who wanted it to be sculpted on the Trajan’s Arch erected in Benevento
in 114-117, and also on one of the two Pluteos called anaglypha, four years later. Afterwards, from 130 AD on, under the emperors Hadrian
, Antoninus Pius
, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus
, Septimius Severus
and Caracalla
, Roman coins reproduced the allegorical representation of Italy as a dressed and towered woman who sometimes carries a cornucopia.
The towered crown is the symbol of Civitas romana (Roman Citizenship), therefore the allegory shows the sovereignty of the Italian peninsula as a land of free cities and of Roman citizens to whom a proper right has been granted: the Ius Italicum.
This mythographical setting-up of the Italian land became also popular during the Middle Ages. In 1490, Ludovico Sforza
, duke of Milan, had an Italia Turrita painted on a medallion of the castle in Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
. The Caesaris Astrum appeared again in 1574 on the cover of Historiarium de Regno Italiae, a book written by the historian Carlo Sigonio. On the other hand, still uncertain is the symbolic identification of Caesar’s star with the famous and precious three-coloured star-shaped jewel, studded with green emeralds, white pearls and red rubies, dated about 1329-1333 and kept at the Castelvecchio Museum
in Verona
. It is supposed to have been made for condottiere Cangrande della Scala, the lord of Verona.
associated the two symbols 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 inspiresd 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 Savoy
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.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In modern times it has been associated with the Italia Turrita
Italia Turrita
Italia Turrita is the national personification or allegory of Italy, characterised by a mural crown typical of Italian civic heraldry of communal origin.. In broader terms, the crown symbolizes its mostly urban history.Italia Turrita is a woman with typical Mediterranean attributes...
(Towered Italy), the ancient allegorical representation of the Italian peninsula.
Origins
The mythology of the Stella d’Italia goes back to the 6th century BC, when the Siceliot poet StesichorusStesichorus
Stesichorus was the first great poet of the Greek West. He is best known for telling epic stories in lyric metres but he is also famous for some ancient traditions about his life, such as his opposition to the tyrant Phalaris, and the blindness he is said to have incurred and cured by composing...
, in his poem Iliupersis (The Fall of Troy) creates the legend of Aeneas
Aeneas
Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...
: escaping from Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
, seized and fired by the Greeks, he goes back to Italy, the land of his ancestors. The tale of Aeneas’ travels by the sea, guided by the maternal Stella Veneris toward the Italian coasts, was later re-used by Varro
Varro
Varro was a Roman cognomen carried by:*Marcus Terentius Varro, sometimes known as Varro Reatinus, the scholar*Publius Terentius Varro or Varro Atacinus, the poet*Gaius Terentius Varro, the consul defeated at the battle of Cannae...
and Vergil, who give birth to the political tradition of Caesaris Astrum (the star of Caesar) and to the geographical tradition of Italy as Esperia, from the ancient name Greeks gave to it. Both traditions are related to the evening star that identifies Italy as "the land of sunset" but also to the star of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, the goddess of love as universal force, which identifies Italy as land of Eros too, sung as such by poets.
Italia Turrita ("Towered Italy")
Italy’s first allegory – a laurel-crowned female head – appears on the coins coined during the Social War between the Roman RepublicRoman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and several other cities of central Italy from 91 to 88 BC. Under the emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, an allegorical representation of Italy as Saturnia Tellus was sculpted in marble on Ara Pacis
Ara Pacis
The Ara Pacis Augustae is an altar to Peace, envisioned as a Roman goddess...
’ external wall (13-9 BC) in Rome. Another allegory of Italy appears on the coins coined during the reign of emperor Nerva
Nerva
Nerva , was Roman Emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became Emperor at the age of sixty-five, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65...
in 97 AD. The representation of Italia Turrita was proposed under the emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
, who wanted it to be sculpted on the Trajan’s Arch erected in Benevento
Benevento
Benevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...
in 114-117, and also on one of the two Pluteos called anaglypha, four years later. Afterwards, from 130 AD on, under the emperors Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
, Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
, Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
and Caracalla
Caracalla
Caracalla , was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. The eldest son of Septimius Severus, he ruled jointly with his younger brother Geta until he murdered the latter in 211...
, Roman coins reproduced the allegorical representation of Italy as a dressed and towered woman who sometimes carries a cornucopia.
The towered crown is the symbol of Civitas romana (Roman Citizenship), therefore the allegory shows the sovereignty of the Italian peninsula as a land of free cities and of Roman citizens to whom a proper right has been granted: the Ius Italicum.
This mythographical setting-up of the Italian land became also popular during the Middle Ages. In 1490, Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza , was Duke of Milan from 1489 until his death. A member of the Sforza family, he was the fourth son of Francesco Sforza. He was famed as a patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists, and presided over the final and most productive stage of the Milanese Renaissance...
, duke of Milan, had an Italia Turrita painted on a medallion of the castle in Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
Vigevano
Vigevano is a town and comune in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, northern Italy, which possesses many artistic treasures and runs a huge industrial business. It is at the center of a district called Lomellina, a great rice-growing agricultural centre...
. The Caesaris Astrum appeared again in 1574 on the cover of Historiarium de Regno Italiae, a book written by the historian Carlo Sigonio. On the other hand, still uncertain is the symbolic identification of Caesar’s star with the famous and precious three-coloured star-shaped jewel, studded with green emeralds, white pearls and red rubies, dated about 1329-1333 and kept at the Castelvecchio Museum
Castelvecchio Museum
Castelvecchio Museum is a museum in Verona, northern Italy, located in the eponymous medieval castle. Restoration by the architect Carlo Scarpa, between 1959 and 1973, has enhanced the appearance of the building and exhibits...
in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
. It is supposed to have been made for condottiere Cangrande della Scala, the lord of Verona.
Italy with a star on top of a towered crown
In 1603, in the second edition of his treatise Iconologia, Cesare RipaCesare Ripa
Cesare Ripa was an Italian aesthetician who worked for Cardinal Anton Maria Salviati as a cook and butler.Little is known about his life. He was born in Perugia and died in Rome. After the death of the cardinal, Ripa worked for his relatives...
associated the two symbols 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 inspiresd many artists like Canova, Bisson
Bisson
Bisson is a surname, and may refer to:*Alexandre Bisson , French playwright and novelist.*Auguste-Rosalie Bisson French photographer, brother of Louis-Auguste Bisson.*Chris Bisson , British actor....
, Maccari
Maccari
Maccari is an Italian surname, and may refer to:*Murilo Maccari*Ruggero Maccari...
, Balla
Balla
Balla is a village in County Mayo, Ireland on the N60 National secondary road, the main road between Castlebar and Claremorris. The economy of the village survives mainly on passing trade, from the busy N60 which carries over 7,000 vehicles through the village every day. The village is to be...
, 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
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini , nicknamed Soul of Italy, was an Italian politician, journalist and activist for the unification of Italy. His efforts helped bring about the independent and unified Italy in place of the several separate states, many dominated by foreign powers, that existed until the 19th century...
mentioned again the national star’s myth that afterwards was recovered by Cavour
Cavour
-Places:Italy* Cavour, Piedmont in Italy* Cavour in ItalyUnited States* Cavour, South Dakota, United States* Cavour, Wisconsin, United States-Other:* Italian aircraft carrier Cavour* the Italian dreadnought Conte di Cavour...
and the new Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
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.
See also
- Italia TurritaItalia TurritaItalia Turrita is the national personification or allegory of Italy, characterised by a mural crown typical of Italian civic heraldry of communal origin.. In broader terms, the crown symbolizes its mostly urban history.Italia Turrita is a woman with typical Mediterranean attributes...
- Emblem of Italy
- National personificationNational personificationA national personification is an anthropomorphization of a nation or its people; it can appear in both editorial cartoons and propaganda.Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations of the majestic wisdom and war goddess Minerva/Athena, and often took the...
- Mural crownMural crown-Usage in ancient times:In Hellenistic culture, a mural crown identified the goddess Tyche, the embodiment of the fortune of a city, familiar to Romans as Fortuna...