[4][5][6] The modern version of the Rosa Camuna was designed by Bruno Munari, Bob Noorda, Roberto Sambonet and Pino Tovaglia in 1975, and became the regional emblem on 12 June 1975.

Since 1990, the Lega Nord party tried to establish the Saint Ambrose's flag (a red cross on a white field), used by the city of Milan and the Lombard League during the Middle Ages, without succeeding.

[7][8][9][10][11] In 2007 a study commissioned by the Region concluded that the most representative flag was the one of the Duchy of Milan (the so-called Ducale, composed by quartering the Biscione and the Reichsadler), but the proposal was never discussed.

[12][13] The idea of combining the Rosa Camuna with Saint Ambrose's Cross first appeared in 2011: six sketches were published and polled on the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, without sequel.

[15] The provisional flag was finally adopted with a unanimous vote of the Regional Council on 29 January 2019, becoming official on 4 February 2019.

At its height, it controlled the major part of today Northern Italy (which was called, at that time, simply Lombardy).

The Duchy's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family has made it one of the main artistic, cultural, and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole.