Florence Italy
2016

https://gambinos.com/fleur-de-lis-france-florence-catholicism/

The Florentine Fleur-de-Lis
Of course, the French aren’t the only ones who lay claim upon the fleur-de-lis. The symbol also has prominence in Italian culture. The fleur-de-lis is actually the official emblem of Florence, having been made so in the early eleventh century (beating France by several decades). In Florence the fleur-de-lis is depicted as a red lily upon a white background, a color scheme that was once reversed. During the German rule of Florence in the 1200’s the lily was actually colored in white while the background was red. It was switched once Florentine people prevailed over the Germans in order to exemplify their victory. Their emblem does, however, differ slightly from the fleur-de-lis we usually recognize here in New Orleans. Where our fleur-de-lis represents only the three petals of the flower, the Florentine fleur-de-lis depicts two decorative stamen between each petal.


The Florentine red fleur de lis served as the family crest of the Medici family, a noble family who ruled Florence during the Renaissance who are said to have reversed the colours of the flower to be native to their city, from white to red.