Italy’s national anthem is one of the most cherished and instantly recognizable anthems, distinguished by a brief orchestral introduction that transitions into a robust march, culminating in the stirring proclamation “Italy has called”. Officially titled Il Canto degli Italiani (The Song of the Italians), it is more commonly known as Inno di Mameli (Mameli’s Anthem) or Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy). The anthem originated in Genoa in the autumn of 1847, penned by the young student and patriot Goffredo Mameli, then just twenty years old, and set to music shortly thereafter in Turin by fellow Genoese Michele Novaro.
The Song of the Italians emerged in a period of intense patriotic fervor preceding the war against Austria. The immediacy of its verses and the fervor of its melody made it the most beloved anthem of unification, resonating not only during the Risorgimento (the movement for Italian unification) but also in the decades that followed. It is no coincidence that Giuseppe Verdi, in his Inno delle Nazioni (Anthem of the Nations, a secular cantata composed for the 1862 EXPO in London), chose The Song of the Italians to symbolize Italy, placing it alongside God Save the Queen and La Marseillaise.
Recognized as the Official Anthem only in 2017!
It is worth noting that The Song of the Italians has not always been Italy’s national anthem. Following the unification of Italy in 1861, the anthem of the Kingdom of Italy was the Marcia Reale (Royal March), the official anthem of the House of Savoy, which remained the national anthem until the monarchy’s fall in 1946. After World War II, Italy became a republic, and on October 12th, 1946, The Song of the Italians was chosen as the provisional Italy’s national anthem, a designation it continued to hold, effectively becoming the anthem of the Italian Republic.
In the ensuing decades, various parliamentary initiatives aimed to make it the official national anthem, but it was only with the passage of a law on December 4th, 2017, that The Song of the Italians was officially recognized as the national anthem. President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who served from 1999 to 2006, spearheaded efforts to promote and revitalize The Song of the Italians as one of Italy’s patriotic symbols.
It is an anthem that, when you listen to it standing at attention, stirs something deep within you; it is a song of freedom for a people who, united, rise again after centuries of divisions and humiliations.
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Italy’s National Anthem: lyrics, meaning and translation
The Song’s lyrics consist of six strophes and one chorus that alternates with them. During official events, only the first two verses are performed, which lasts about a minute. However, in contemporary performances, such as during sporting events, Italy’s national anthem includes only the first verse, repeated, and the chorus. To fully appreciate the significance of the Italian national anthem, below there’s a verse-by-verse translation and an explanation of its content.
The first strophe
| Fratelli d’Italia, l’Italia s’è desta, dell’elmo di Scipio s’è cinta la testa. Dov’è la Vittoria? Le porga la chioma, ché schiava di Roma Iddio la creò. | Brothers of Italy, Italy has awakened, with Scipio’s helmet binding her head. Where is Victory? Let her offer the tress, ‘cause slave of Rome God did create her. |
In its original version, the anthem began with “Long live Italy” but Mameli almost immediately changed it to “Brothers of Italy” to underscore the notion that Italians belong to a single nation and are, therefore, brothers.
In the first verse, the Roman politician and military leader Publius Cornelius Scipio (referred to by his Latin name, Scipio) is mentioned. By defeating Hannibal at the Battle of Zama (October 18th, 202 BC), he concluded the Second Punic War, liberating ancient Italy from the Carthaginian army. After this battle, Scipio was nicknamed “Scipio Africanus”. According to Mameli, Scipio’s helmet is now metaphorically worn by Italy, ready to fight to free itself from foreign oppression and unite once more.
The first verse also references the goddess Victory, who for a long time was closely tied to ancient Rome by divine decree, but now dedicates herself to the new Italy, offering her hair to be cut, thus becoming its “slave”. These lines allude to the practice in ancient Rome where enslaved women wore their hair short, while free women wore theirs long. The phrase “slave of Rome” suggests that ancient Rome, through its conquests, made the goddess Victory its slave.
Now, however, according to Mameli, the goddess Victory is ready to serve the new Italy in the wars necessary to expel the foreign oppressors and unify the country. Through these verses, Mameli alludes to Italy’s awakening from a centuries-long slumber, a rebirth inspired by the glories of ancient Rome.
The chorus
| Stringiamci a coorte, siam pronti alla morte, siam pronti alla morte, l’Italia chiamò. Si! | Let’s join in a cohort, we are ready for death, we are ready for death, Italy has called. Yes! |
In Mameli’s anthem, there is a strong reference to the history of ancient Rome, as this historical period was meticulously studied in schools of that era. Moreover, Mameli’s cultural education had strong classical influences.
The “cohort” mentioned refers to a military unit of the Roman army, equivalent to one-tenth of a legion. “Let’s join in a cohort” means to metaphorically close ranks, preparing for battle. For metrical reasons, the syncopated form “stringiamci” is used, omitting the vowel “o” instead of “stringiamoci”.
This phrase calls the Italian people to arms, to expel the foreign oppressor from their homeland and unify the country, which at the time was divided into seven pre-unification states. At the end of the chorus, the musician Novaro added a resounding “Sì!”, signifying the Italian people’s solemn vow to fight to the death.
The second strophe
| Noi fummo da secoli calpesti, derisi perché non siam Popolo, perché siam divisi: raccolgaci un’unica bandiera, una speme: di fonderci insieme già l’ora suonò. | We were for centuries trampled, derided because we are not a people, because we are divided: Let gather us all one flag, one hope: for us to merge together the time already struck. |
Within the second verse, there’s a reference to a longing: the hope (“speme”, in ancient Italian) that Italy, for centuries politically divided and treated as a land to be conquered, will finally gather under one flag, merging into a single nation. Here, Mameli underscores the root cause of Italy’s weakness: political divisions.
The third strophe
| Uniamoci, amiamoci, l’unione e l’amore rivelano ai popoli le vie del Signore; giuriamo far libero il suolo natio: uniti per Dio, chi vincer ci può!? | Let’s unite, let’s love one another, union and love reveal to the peoples the ways of the Lord; let’s swear to set free the native soil: united by God, who can overcome us!? |
The third strophe passionately exhorts the pursuit of national unity, guided by the aid of Providence and fueled by the collective effort of the entire Italian populace, now united in a shared purpose. The phrase “per Dio” bears a French influence (“par Dieu”), where Mameli conveys “by God” or “with God’s assistance”.
These verses resonate with the ideals of Giuseppe Mazzini, a prominent figure in the Italian Risorgimento movement, whose visionary concepts and political endeavors were instrumental in shaping Italy’s destiny. Mazzini envisioned a united and resolute people striving for their freedom under divine will. Indeed, the slogans of the Young Italy movement – an insurgent political organization founded in Marseille in July 1831 by Giuseppe Mazzini – were “Union, strength, and freedom” and “God and people.” Embedded within these lines is also the romantic essence of the historical milieu of the time.
The fourth strophe
| Dall’Alpi a Sicilia dovunque è Legnano, ogn’uom di Ferruccio ha il core, ha la mano, i bimbi d’Italia si chiaman Balilla, il suono di squilla i Vespri suonò. | From the Alps to Sicily, everywhere is Legnano, every man of Ferruccio has the heart, has the hand, the children of Italy are called Balilla, the sound of the bell sounded the Vespers. |
The fourth strophe brims with references to pivotal events intertwined with the age-old struggle of Italians against foreign dominance. Through these examples, Mameli seeks to ignite courage within the Italians, urging them to pursue retribution.
Firstly, there’s mention of the Battle of Legnano, fought on May 29th, 1176, near the city bearing the same name, where the Lombard League triumphed over the imperial forces of Frederick Barbarossa. This historic clash marked the cessation of the German emperor’s bid to control Northern Italy. Legnano, owing to this momentous battle, stands as the sole Italian city, alongside Rome, referenced in the national anthem.
Next, Francesco Ferrucci, renowned as Ferruccio, is the valiant leader serving the Republic of Florence who faced defeat in the Battle of Gavinana (August 3rd, 1530) at the hands of Emperor Charles V of Habsburg during the siege of the Tuscan city. Ferrucci – captured, wounded, and defenseless – met his demise at the hands of Fabrizio Maramaldo, an Italian mercenary in the emperor’s service. Before breathing his last, Ferrucci famously denounced Maramaldo with the words, “Vile, you slay a man already dead!”. Subsequently, the term “maramaldo” became synonymous in Italy with epithets like “coward”, “traitor”, and “felon”.
Following this, the narrative turns to Balilla, the young who, by hurling a stone at an Austrian officer on December 5th, 1746, sparked a popular uprising in the Genoese quarter of Portoria against the Habsburg occupiers that led the liberation of Genoa. These verses of Mameli likely inspired the nomenclature of the Opera Nazionale Balilla (National Balilla Organization), the fascist institution established to indoctrinate young Italians aged 6 to 18 and prepare them for military service.
Lastly, the strophe alludes to the Sicilian Vespers, the insurrection that erupted in Palermo in 1282, setting off a series of conflicts known as the “Sicilian Vespers Wars” and culminating in the expulsion of the Angevins from Sicily. Mameli refers to the tolling of bells on March 30, 1282, in Palermo, rallying the populace to revolt against the Angevins. The bells that tolled for rebellion were the “vespers” bells, signaling the commencement of the evening prayer typical in many Christian churches, from which the revolt derived its name.
The fifth strophe
| Son giunchi che piegano le spade vendute: già l’aquila d’Austria le penne ha perdute; il sangue d’Italia il sangue polacco bevé, col Cosacco ma il cuor le bruciò. | They are reeds that bend the sold swords: the eagle of Austria already lost its plumes; the blood of Italy the Polish blood did drink, with Cossack but its heart burned. |
The fifth strophe delves into the theme of the waning Austrian Empire. Here, Mameli references the extensive use of mercenary troops (“sold swords”) within the Austrian army. He portrays them as weak as reeds lacking the courage of soldiers and patriots who fight for their nation rather than mere payment. Mameli perceives the reliance on these mercenaries as a factor contributing to the empire’s decline.
Additionally, the strophe hints at the involvement of the Russian Empire (the Cossack), alongside Austria and Prussia, in the three partitions of Poland at the close of the eighteenth century. This serves as a reminder of another oppressed people under Austrian rule, the Poles, who faced brutal suppression by Austria and Russia between February and March 1846.
Through these verses, Mameli suggests that both the Italian and Polish peoples are eroding the declining Austrian Empire from within, a consequence of the repression endured and the employment of mercenaries. The eagle alluded to in the strophe is the double-headed eagle, emblematic of the Habsburg imperial crest.
The sixth strophe
| Evviva l’Italia, dal sonno s’è desta, dell’elmo di Scipio s’è cinta la testa. Dov’è la Vittoria? Le porga la chioma, ché schiava di Roma Iddio la creò. | Long live Italy, from slumber has awakened, whit Scipio’s helmet binding her head. Where is Victory? Let her offer the tress, ‘cause slave of Rome God did create her. |
The sixth and final strophe, which is seldom performed, was absent in the original version but appears in Mameli’s second autograph version and Novaro’s score. The strophe joyfully anticipates the unity of Italy and concludes the anthem with the same six lines that conclude the first strophe, thereby imparting a circular structure to the composition.
Italy’s national anthem: origins and influences
According to historian Aldo Alessandro Mola, the authorship of the lyrics of The Song of the Italians, deemed too sophisticated for a young student, is attributed by some to his teacher, Atanasio Canata, although this theory is largely dismissed by historians. There’s disagreement among sources regarding the exact date of the composition of the lyrics: while some scholars claim Mameli penned the anthem on September 10th, 1847, others suggest September 8th.
Having discarded the notion of adapting it to existing music, Mameli dispatched the anthem’s lyrics to Turin on November 10th, 1847, for composition by Genoese composer Michele Novaro, who was so enamored with the text that he set it to music that very evening.
Mameli, a republican and advocate of the motto inspired by the French Revolution “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”, drew inspiration from the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. For instance, “Let’s join in a cohort” echoes a line from La Marseillaise, “Formez vos bataillons” (Form your battalions).
A remarkable international connection unique in the world is found in the reciprocal reference to Italy and Poland in their respective anthems. Italy is mentioned in the Polish national anthem, Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, authored by Józef Wybicki in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1797. Its chorus in the modern version begins with “Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski, z ziemi włoskiej do Polski” (March, march, Dąbrowski, from the Italian land to Poland).
The lyrics recall the enlistment of Polish volunteers among the Napoleonic armies stationed in Italy, fleeing political persecution in their homeland. These volunteers participated in Napoleon’s military campaigns (the first Italian campaign), enticed by Napoleon’s promise of an imminent liberation war for Poland. Specifically, the chorus urges Polish General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski to swiftly direct the armies homeward. Conversely, The Song of the Italians references the political turmoil in Poland, akin to Italy’s plight at the time, both nations lacking sovereignty and enduring foreign dominance.
The Song of the Italians made its public debut on December 10th, 1847, in Genoa, commemorating the centenary of the uprising in the Genoese district of Portoria against the Habsburg occupiers (a nod to the young Balilla within the anthem). Given Mameli’s fervent Mazzinian stance, the song was prohibited by the Savoy police until March 1848. Additionally, its performance was banned by the Austrian authorities, who also pursued charges against those singing it, deeming it a political offense, until the conclusion of World War I.