Unesco Sites of Italy: Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale

Each year on June 2, Italy celebrates the Festa della Repubblica (literally Festival of the Republic or, in English, Republic Day).

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, republic or monarchy, following World War II and the fall of Fascism.

Italians chose to become a Republic with 12,717,923 votes versus 10,719,284 votes for the monarchy and as a consequence, the male descendants of the House of Savoy were sent into exile. Every year, a military parade is held in Rome to commemorate the date and is presided over by the President of the Italian Republic in his role as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, with the Prime Minister and other high officers of state attending the ceremony.

The first military parade in honor of the new Italian Republic was held in Rome in Via dei Fori Imperiali in 1948. The following year, with Italy's entry into NATO, ten parades were held simultaneously across the country. 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, the state police, the Guardia di Finanza, the Penitentiary Police Corps and the State Forestry Corps. On June 2, Italian embassies hold special celebrations and invite heads of state of the host countries while the President of the Italian Republic receives well-wishes from all over the world.