 The flag of Italy (, ), often referred to in Italian as "il Tricolore" (); 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 Tricolour Day, Flag Day dedicated to the Italian flag, is established by law n. 671 of 31 December 1996, which is held every year on 7 January.