2 June 1946, in a referendum, Italians were asked to express their views on the type of government they wanted in Italy following the defeat of fascism and the fall of the monarchy.
It was an exceptional event, made so by the extraordinary turnout of the Italian electorate; almost 90% of Italians turned out at the polls to express their will and show their support for a democratic system entrusted to Parliament.
An Italy now freed from its oppressors and in the process of reconstruction following the Second World War. More than half of Italian voters, from both right-wing and left-wing political camps, voted in favour of Italy becoming a republic and of sending the remaining members of the old royal house, the House of Savoy, into exile.
On 2 June, we celebrate the the birth of the Italian nation; it is the Republic’s birthday.
This day was abolished as a public holiday in 1977 and reinstated as a ‘public holiday’ in 2000 at the strong insistence of the President of the Republic, Ciampi; it is a public holiday that truly provides an opportunity to instil a sense of national identity in Italians.
The first celebration took place in Rome in 1948, with a military parade in honour of the new state.
Since then, it has been an occasion to commemorate the Italians who gave their lives for freedom, with all the highest-ranking state officials paying their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
All the state’s armed and unarmed forces take part in a parade before the President of the Republic, demonstrating that the state and its citizens are protected both militarily and civilly; indeed, since 2005, again at the behest of President Ciampi, the Municipal Police and the Civil Protection have also been taking part in the parade.
2 June, offers Italians a wonderful opportunity to remember national unity, a precious asset in a free country.
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