: The "nation" issued its own stamps, which were used by visiting tourists and remain collector's items today.
To legitimize its claim as a state, Rose Island adopted several formal national attributes:
: Esperanto was chosen to emphasize its international, utopian identity.
The project began in 1958 as a "scream for freedom" and a technical challenge. Rosa designed a unique system of nine hollow steel pylons that were floated into place and then anchored into the seabed. : The structure was finalized in 1967.
The Italian government viewed Rose Island as a threat to national security and a ploy to evade taxes on tourism.
