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A stamp issued by Rose Island and overprinted in black with Esperanto text stating "Italian (military) occupation". Rose Island (also known as the Isle of Roses) was a short-lived micronation located on a man-made platform in the Adriatic Sea, seven miles off the coast of Rimini, Italy.
In 1964, Italian engineer Giorgio Rosa constructed a 400 square metre platform supported by nine pylons, and furnished it with a number of commercial establishments, including a restaurant, bar, nightclub, souvenir shop and a post office. Some reports also mention the presence of a radio station, but this remains unconfirmed.
The artificial island declared independence on 24 June 1968, under the Esperanto name "Insulo de la Rozoj", and stamps, currency, and a flag were subsequently produced.
The Italian government's response was swift and heavy-handed: two carabinieri and two inspectors of finances landed on the "Isola delle Rose" and assumed control. The platform's Council of Government is said to have sent a telegram, presumably to the Italian government, to protest the "violation of its sovereignty and the injury inflicted on local tourism by the military occupation", but this was ignored. The Italian Navy then used explosives to destroy the facility - an act later portrayed on postage stamps issued by Rosa's "government in exile".
The Rose Island flag was orange, with a white shield in the center bearing three red roses with green leaves and stems.
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