Introduction

The flag of Parma is a gold field with an azure cross. The Italian municipal record puts it plainly: the administration uses un drappo di giallo alla croce di azzurro, a yellow drape with a cross of azure.

The blue matters. It is azure, a clear mid blue, not the dark navy or indigo that often gets substituted for it.

Meaning & Symbolism

The cross and the colours come straight off the civic arms, which are an azure cross on a gold field under a ducal crown. The gold is not arbitrary either: the ceremonial gonfalone of the comune carries the words aurea Parma, golden Parma, recalling Crisopoli, the golden city, the name the Byzantines gave the place.

Around the arms runs the motto Hostis turbetur quia Parmam virgo tuetur: let the enemy tremble, for the Virgin protects Parma.

History of the Parma Flag

The motto is dated. It was coined for the victory of the people of Parma in 1248 over the besieging army of the emperor Frederick II, and the city has carried the claim ever since.

The arms themselves were formally recognised much later, by decree of the Head of Government on 22 April 1939. The flag follows from them rather than the other way round, which is why it has an official colour and an official charge but no official proportions.

Curiosities

  • The flag is a cross, not a triband, and the blue is azure rather than navy.
  • The gonfalone of the comune reads aurea Parma, golden Parma, after Crisopoli, the name the Byzantines gave the city.
  • The motto translates as: let the enemy tremble, for the Virgin protects Parma.
  • It was coined for the 1248 victory over the besieging army of emperor Frederick II.
  • The arms were only formally recognised by decree in 1939, seven centuries after the motto.

Download Flag

Download the flag of Parma in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.

Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.

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Construction Sheet

The flag has a 2:3 ratio, meaning its width is 1.5 times its height. It is divided into three equal vertical stripes. The first and third stripes are gold (yellow), each occupying one-third of the flag's width. The central stripe is blue, also one-third wide. The city's coat of arms is centered on the blue stripe, with its height typically spanning approximately two-thirds the height of the flag.

Flags Similar to Parma Flag

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Common Misidentifications

Often confused from a distance with other blue and yellow flags, particularly Sweden, due to the shared color scheme, but the vertical tricolor pattern and central emblem are distinctive.