*** Welcome to piglix ***

Order of the Star of Italy

Order of the Star of Italy
Awarded by  Italy
Type Order of knighthood
Eligibility Expatriates and foreign nationals
Awarded for Preservation and promotion of national prestige abroad, promoting friendly relations and co-operation with other countries and ties with Italy.
Status Extant
Statistics
Established 3 February 2011
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of Merit for Labour
Next (lower) Order of Vittorio Veneto
StellaItalia-Cav.png
Ribbon of the order

Contains information from the corresponding article in the

The Order of the Star of Italy was formed in 2011. The order was reformed from the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity by the 11th President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano. The emphasis of the reformed award was shifted from post-war reconstruction to the preservation and promotion of national prestige abroad, promoting friendly relations and co-operation with other countries and ties with Italy.

This distinction, which qualifies as a second civilian honor of the State, represents a particular honor on behalf of all those, Italians abroad or foreigners, who have acquired special merit in the promotion of friendly relations and cooperation between Italy and other countries and the promotion of ties with Italy. The reasons for granting leave the original connotation of the same post-war award and become more responsive to current realities, whereas, according to the initial setting, it was granted to those who, Italians abroad or foreigners, have especially contributed to the reconstruction of Italy. In particular, the nomination conferring the honor, are considered to have supported the preservation and promotion of national prestige abroad, which translates in various activities, such as the promotion of the Italian language, volunteering and charitable, philanthropic activities, participation in community life of our communities abroad, the scientific and technological research, the pastoral missions, commercial enterprises, the promotion of food and wine and service to our countrymen.

The order is conferred by the President of the Republic on the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, after consulting the Council of the Order, which shall be chaired by the Minister himself and is composed of four members, one of which is by law the Head of the Diplomatic Protocol of the Republic . A further innovation is the order of the classes, which increased from three to five: Knight Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer and Knight, plus the special class of the Grand Cross of Honor.

The Order of the Star of Italy drops the Christian symbolism from the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, where the center of the stars and other insignia are replaced by a circular shield of gold, edged in blue and gold emblem bearing a depiction of the symbol of the republic at the center with the words "STELLA D'ITALIA" in gold letters around the edge.


...
Wikipedia

...