Republic Day: What to expect in Italy on June 2nd 2025
June 2nd will be Italy's Republic Day – a national public holiday commemorating the birth of the Italian Republic as we know it today.
Italy's Festa della Repubblica marks the date in 1946 when Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the then 85-year-old monarchy, which had fallen out of favour due to its close alignment with Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime, and establish a democratic republic.
Conveniently, this year's Republic Day falls on a Monday, meaning that people in Italy will enjoy a three-day weekend.
But, while many around the country will use the Republic Day holiday to get their first taste of summer, beach picnics and idle hours spent under the ombrellone will not be the only thing going on on June 2nd.
Here's a quick look at what you should expect on that date.
A military parade and trails of tricolore smoke in Rome
As is tradition, the bulk of official Republic Day celebrations will take place in the capital.
At around 9am on Monday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella will pay homage to service members killed in action by laying a laurel wreath at the foot of the Altare della Patria war memorial, in the central Piazza Venezia square.
This will be followed by the traditional Republic Day military parade, with hundreds of members of Italy's armed forces marching down Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Unfortunately, this year's parade is already sold out, according to Italy's defence ministry.
If you didn't manage to get your ticket or live elsewhere in the country, you can still watch the event for free on Rai1 (channel one on Italian TV) or Rai's online streaming platform RaiPlay at this link.
Celebrations in the capital will end with a spectacular display from Italy's Frecce Tricolori air force unit, with ten fighter jets set to fly over the city, leaving trails of green, white and red smoke (the colours of Italy's tricolore flag) in the sky.
Celebrations in other cities
Besides Rome, other major cities around the country will hold Republic Day celebrations on Monday.
Just to name a few, Milan will hold a flag-hoisting ceremony in the central Piazza del Duomo square at 10am on Monday morning.
This will be followed by a number of cultural events in the afternoon, including a free concert in the courtyard of Palazzo Marino, the seat of Milan's city hall.
Palazzo Marino will open to visitors for free from 10am to 8pm on Monday.
A military parade and a flag-hoisting ceremony will take place in Venice's Piazza San Marco on Monday morning.
As part of local Republic Day celebrations, the city's famed La Fenice Opera House will hold a free concert at 5pm.
In Turin, an official ceremony will be held in Piazza Castello on Monday morning, followed by live music performances from the Municipal Police Band.
Free museum openings
For the third year in a row, people around the country will be able to visit state-run museums and archaeological sites for free on Republic Day.
This will apply to hundreds of sites, including world-famous attractions like Rome's Colosseum, Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia, the Pompeii ruins, and the Reggia di Caserta.
A full list of the museums, palaces and archaeological parks you can visit free of charge on Monday is available on the Italian Culture Ministry's website.
Please note that, though admission will be free, some venues may still require advance booking, so it's advisable to check the relevant site's own website beforehand.
Closed shops and reduced public transport
Schools and public offices including post offices, town hall desks and CAF tax assistance centres will be closed on Monday.
Most businesses around the country will also be closed, though some supermarkets and shops in major cities may open for at least part of the day (usually morning- or afternoon-only).
Shops in smaller cities and towns are likely to remain closed all day.
As for local public transport, most operators around the country will run on a reduced holiday timetable (also known as orari festivi) on Monday.
The overall quality and frequency of available services will vary significantly between rural and urban areas, as well as between cities.
Areas that are usually served by the occasional bus may see very limited services on Monday. On the contrary, parts of the country with robust public transport networks, including major cities and tourist destinations, are likely to keep them fairly active.
Regional and local rail services will be significantly reduced on Monday, whereas most interregional and long-distance operators will run according to standard weekend timetables, meaning you'll still find dozens of high-speed trains connecting major Italian cities around the country.
Heavy traffic
Italy's motorways (or autostrade) rarely see much in the way of heavy traffic on regular weekdays or weekends. But that all changes around national public holidays and long weekends.
According to the latest Italian media reports, motorways and state roads (strade statali) connecting big cities to popular coastal or countryside locations are likely to be affected by heavy traffic this weekend.
Congestion on Italy's roads is expected to be particularly intense in the evening of Friday, May 30th, and in the late afternoon/evening of Monday, June 2nd.
It's also worth noting that traffic in major cities around the country may undergo major changes on Monday to allow for the safe unfolding of Republic Day celebrations.
These changes can usually be found on the relevant city hall's website or social media channels.
For instance, Rome authorities' road mobility plan for Monday can be found here (in Italian).
If you're planning on travelling over the long weekend, there are a number of resources that you can use to keep up to date with the latest developments on the road.
This online map from Italy's motorway construction and maintenance company ANAS features live updates on road closures, maintenance work, traffic levels and weather conditions. The service is also available through their mobile app, 'VAI'.
Motorway company Autostrade per l'Italia offers a similar live map, which also shows the locations of the nearest petrol stations and service areas.
If you'd like to speak directly with an operator while you're on the road, you can contact ANAS's customer service at 800 841 148 or the Transport Ministry's info centre (CCISS) at 1518.
What will the weather be like?
According to the latest weather forecasts, the centre and south of the country will experience sunny conditions and summer-like temperatures over the long weekend, with the mercury set to exceed 30C in cities including Rome, Bari, Cagliari and Palermo.
Daytime temperatures are expected to stop short of the 30C mark in the north of the country, with overcast skies and localised showers forecast to interrupt a spell of sunny weather on Monday afternoon.
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