Festa della Repubblica

Festa della Repubblica
Frecce Tricolori demonstration for the Festa della Repubblica celebrations in 2005 The Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) also known as "The Vittoriano", where the celebrations start.
Also called	The Second of June
Observed by	Italy
Type	National
Significance	Italy became a republic after the results of a costitutional referendum
Celebrations	Parades, Fireworks, Concerts, Picnics, Football games
Date	June 2
Next time	2 June 2014 (2014-06-02)
Frequency	annual

Italian Air Force Marching Band.

President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano on the presidential car Lancia Flaminia, 2006 parade.

Festa della Repubblica (in English, Republic Day) is the Italian National Day, which is celebrated on the 2nd of June each year. The day commemorates the institutional referendum held by universal suffrage in 1946, in which the Italian people were called to the polls to decide on the form of government, following the Second World War and the fall of Fascism. With 12,717,923 votes for a republic and 10,719,284 for the monarchy, the male descendants of the House of Savoy were sent into exile. To commemorate it, a grand military parade is held in central Rome, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic in his role as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister, formally known as the President of the Council of Ministers and other high officers of state also attend. There are important celebrations in all the Italian embassies and foreign heads of state are invited. Even though in Rome there is the most important parade, many Italian cities celebrate the Republic Day as well.^[1]

Prior to the foundation of the Republic, the Italian national day was the first Sunday in June, anniversary of the granting of the Statuto Albertino.

The parade

In 1948, Via dei Fori Imperiali hosted the first military parade in honor of the new Italian Republic. The following year, with Italy's entry into NATO, ten were held simultaneously across the country and in 1950, the parade was featured for the first time in the protocol of official celebrations. This provides for the ceremonial laying of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Vittoriano. The ceremony continues in the afternoon with the opening of the gardens of the Quirinale Palace, seat of the President of the Republic and with musical performances by the band ensembles of the Italian Army, Italian Navy, Italian Air Force, the "Arma dei Carabinieri", State Police, the "Guardia di Finanza", the Penitentiary Police Corps and the State Forestry Corps.^[2]

Republic Day Gallery

Italian colours at the Colosseum.  Corazzieri, the honor guard of the President of the Italian Republic.  Carabinieri Cavalry Regiment.  Piceno Regiment, Italian Army.  Sassari Brigade, Italian Army.  Italian Navy.  Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania".  Bersaglieri Marching Band.  The Infantry Fighting Vehicle "Freccia", Italian Army.  The GIS, elite Special Operations counter-terrorism tactical response unit.  Motorcyclists of the Polizia di Stato.  Iveco Magirus Super Dragon X8, Vigili del Fuoco.

See also

• Public holidays in Italy

References