proud of

A couple of years ago I had a discussion with a German friend.

"Are you proud of being Italian?"
"Yes, I do."
"Why?"
Benigni helped me today to remember one of the reasons.

Art. 1

Italy is a democratic republic, founded on work.
Sovereignty belongs to the people, which exercises it in the forms and within the limits of the Constitution.

Art. 2

The Republic recognizes and guarantees the inviolable rights of man, as an individual, and in the social groups where he expresses his personality, and demands the fulfilment of the intransgressible duties of political, economic, and social solidarity.

Art. 3

All citizens have equal social dignity and are equal before the law, without distinction of sex, race, language, religion, political opinions, personal and social conditions.
It is the duty of the Republic to remove those obstacles of an economic and social nature which, really limiting the freedom and equality of citizens, impede the full development of the human person and the effective participation of all workers in the political, economic and social organization of the country.

Art. 4

The Republic recognizes the right of all citizens to work and promotes those conditions which will make this right effective.
Every citizen has the duty, according to his possibilities and individual choice, to carry out an activity or a function which contributes to the material or spiritual progress of society.

Art. 5

The Republic, one and indivisible, recognizes and promotes local autonomies; implements in those services which depend on the State the fullest measure of administrative decentralization; accords the principles and methods of its legislation to the requirements of autonomy and decentralization.

Art. 6

The Republic safeguards by means of appropriate measures linguistic minorities.

Art. 7

The State and the Catholic Church are, each within its own order, independent and sovereign.
Their relations are regulated by the Lateran Treaties. Changes to the Treaties accepted by both parties do not require the procedure for constitutional amendment.

Art. 8

All religious confessions are equally free before the law.
Religious confessions other than Catholic have the right to organize in accordance with their own statutes, in so far as they are not in conflict with Italian laws.
Their relations with the State are regulated by law on the basis of an accord between the respective representatives.

Art. 9

The Republic promotes the development of culture and scientific and technical research.
It safeguards landscape and the historical and artistic heritage of the Nation.

Art. 10

Italian laws conform to the generally recognized tenets of international law.
The legal status of foreigners is regulated by law in conformity with international provisions and treaties.
The foreigner who is denied in his own country the real exercise of the democratic liberties guaranteed by the Italian Constitution has the right of asylum in the territory of the Republic, in accordance with the conditions established by law.
The extradition of a foreigner for political offences is not admitted.

Art. 11

Italy rejects war as an instrument of aggression against the freedoms of others peoples and as a means for settling international controversies; it agrees, on conditions of equality with other states, to the limitations of sovereignty necessary for an order that ensures peace and justice among Nations; it promotes and encourages international organizations having such ends in view.

Art. 12

The flag of the Republic is the Italian tricolour: green, white and red, in three vertical bands of equal dimensions.