Flag of Friuli

The flag of Friuli is a historical flag of the Italian region of Friuli, which is no longer officially recognized by the Italian government. It shows a yellow eagle looking to its right, with wings spread, against a blue background.

The flag's origin goes back to the Patrie dal Friûl, the historical Friulian state that was independent from 1077 to 1420 under the control of the Patriarch of Aquileia. The official flag of the Patrie dal Friûl was identical to the current flag, apart from the colours: the eagle was golden and the background was light blue. This flag was used in all the normal contests, and was painted on buildings and walls. The symbol of the flag comes from the name of Aquileia, which, following a popular legend, comes from an eagle (Latin: aquila) who showed the first citizens the place where the city should be founded. Today, many scholars claim that the name of Aquileia is derived from a Celtic toponym (Akylis), and therefore has nothing to do with eagles. Akilis or black or black river and suffix eia or ea or city similar to Noreia ( Neumarkt) in Southern Austria and Celeia Celje in Slovenia .

Today the Friulian flag is commonly seen, especially on 3 April, a day which commemorates the old Friulian state. It is not officially recognized, and is sometimes considered to be a nationalist or separatist symbol. The Friulian flag is similar to the Upper Austrian coat of arms, perhaps due to similar histories.

Occasionally, other layouts of the flag are used which retain the colours (blue and yellow), but omit the eagle.

There was also an alternative historical version, used by the Patriarch of Aquileia in wartime. The only difference was the background, which was red instead of blue.

The flag of the present day Italian region Friuli–Venezia Giulia is also based on the Flag of Friuli.

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