Editing Italian Armed Forces (section)

==Tomb of the Unknown Soldier==
{{main|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Italy)}}
[[File:Sergio Mattarella rende omaggio al Milite Ignoto (4 novembre 2016).jpg|thumb|The [[President of Italy]] [[Sergio Mattarella]], between the [[Corazzieri]] and the [[guard of honour]], pays tribute to the [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Italy)|Italian Unknown Soldier]] at [[Altare della Patria]] in Rome during the [[National Unity and Armed Forces Day]] on 4 November 2016]]
[[File:Frecce Tricolori 2022.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Frecce Tricolori]]'', with the smoke trail representing the [[national colours of Italy]], above the [[Altare della Patria]] in Rome during the celebrations of the ''[[Festa della Repubblica]]'' on 2 June 2022]]

The [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Italy)|Tomb of the Italian Unknown Soldier]] ({{langx|it|Tomba del Milite Ignoto}}) is a [[war memorial]] located in [[Rome]] under the statue of the [[Roma (mythology)|goddess Roma]] at the [[Victor Emmanuel II Monument#Altar of the Fatherland|Altare della Patria]]. It is a ''[[sacellum]]'' dedicated to the Italian soldiers killed and missing during [[List of wars involving Italy|war]].

It is the scene of official ceremonies that take place annually on the occasion of the [[Liberation Day (Italy)|Italian Liberation Day]] (April 25), the [[Festa della Repubblica|Italian Republic Day]] (June 2) and the [[National Unity and Armed Forces Day]] (November 4), during which the [[President of the Italian Republic]] and the [[Italian order of precedence|highest offices]] of the State pay homage to the shrine of the Unknown Soldier with the deposition of a [[laurel wreath]] in memory of the fallen and missing [[Italians]] in the wars.

The reason for his strong [[symbol]]ism lies in the [[metaphor]]ical transition from the figure of the soldier to that of the [[people]] and finally to that of the [[nation]]: this transition between increasingly broader and generic concepts is due to the indistinct traits of the non-identification of the soldier.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tobia|first=Bruno|title=L'Altare della Patria|year=2011|publisher=Il Mulino|language=it|isbn= 978-88-15-23341-7|p=72}}</ref>

His tomb is a symbolic shrine that represents all the fallen and missing in the war.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/simboli/vittoriano/vittoriano.html|title= L'Altare della Patria|access-date= 1 January 2018|language= Italian|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180101194248/http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/simboli/vittoriano/vittoriano.html|archive-date= 1 January 2018}}</ref> The side of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier that gives outward at the Altare della Patria is always guarded by a guard of honour and two flames that burn perpetually in braziers.<ref name=civitavecchia>{{cite web|url= http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/it/il-vittoriano-e-piazza-venezia|title= Il Vittoriano e piazza Venezia|date= 20 January 2015|access-date= 6 June 2017|language= Italian|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170606020741/http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/it/il-vittoriano-e-piazza-venezia|archive-date= 6 June 2017}}</ref>

The allegorical meaning of the perpetually burning flames is linked to their symbolism, which is centuries old, since it has its origins in [[classical antiquity]], especially in the [[Funeral|cult of the dead]]. A fire that burns eternally symbolizes the memory, in this case of the sacrifice of the Unknown Soldier moved by patriotic love, and his everlasting memory of the Italians, even in those who are far from their country: not by chance on the two perennial braziers next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier a plaque is placed whose text reads "Italians Abroad to the Motherland" in memory of donations made by [[Italian diaspora|Italian emigrants]] between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century for the construction of the Vittoriano.<ref name=fiamma>{{cite web|url= http://www.toscanaoggi.it/Cultura-Societa/Il-mito-della-lampada-perenne|title= Il mito della "lampada perenne"|date= 13 January 2010|access-date= 12 February 2018|language= Italian|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180212201607/http://www.toscanaoggi.it/Cultura-Societa/Il-mito-della-lampada-perenne|archive-date= 12 February 2018}}</ref>