Festa della Repubblica

Festa della Repubblica (literally "Festivity of the Republic") is celebrated in Italy on the second 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.

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

Other public holidays

In 1997, on the bicentenary of the adoption of the first Italian tricolour, 7 January was declared Festa del Tricolore; it is intended as a celebration, though not a public holiday. ["Celebrazione nazionale del bicentenario della prima bandiera nazionale" [http://www.parlamento.it/parlam/leggi/96671l.htm LEGGE 31 dicembre 1996, n. 671] (GU 1 del 2 gennaio 1997)]

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