Flag of Sicily

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The flag of Sicily was first adopted in 1282, after the Sicilian Vespers of Palermo. It is characterized by the presence of the triskelion (trinacria) in its middle, the (winged) head of Medusa and three wheat ears.

The colours, instead, respectively represent the cities of Palermo and Corleone, at those times an agricultural city of renown. Palermo and Corleone were the first two cities to found a confederation against the Angevin rule. It finally became the official public flag of the Autonomous Region of Sicily in January 2000, after the passing of an apposite law which advocates its use on public buildings, schools, city halls, and all the other places in which Sicily is represented.

The flag looks somewhat similar to the flag of the Isle of Man, especially for the use of the triskelion in both of these; today, the triskelion (or trisceli) is also widely considered the actual symbol of Sicily. The symbol is also known as the trinacria, which is also an ancient name of Sicily. The name was also revived and used during the Aragonese period of the Kingdom of Sicily immediately after the Sicilian Vespers which ended Angevin rule.

[edit] Sources

• (Italian) History of the Sicilian flag
• Sicilian Culture: The Trinacria