From the 1946 referendum to the celebrations in the capital, an itinerary among symbols
and institutional buildings
June 2nd is not just a date in the Italian civil calendar. It is the day when the country
recalls the transition from monarchy to Republic, after the war, the fascist dictatorship and
a long national rift. In Rome, this story takes shape between squares, buildings and
ceremonies that bring her back to the center of public life every year. Italian Traditions proposes
an itinerary in the capital, following the traces left by the birth of the new state and the
way they continue to speak in the present tense.
The anniversary was originally marked by the institutional referendum of June 2 and 3, 1946. The Italians
they were called to choose between monarchy and Republic and, at the same time, to elect
the Constituent Assembly charged with writing the new Constitutional Charter. For the first
Once upon a time, women also voted: a decisive step, because the birth of the Republic
coincided with a different idea of citizenship, based on universal suffrage and the
democratic participation. From that vote also began a new season for Rome,
where the palaces of monarchical power gradually became the seats of state
Republican.
The first stop is the Altar of the Fatherland, in Piazza Venezia, where the celebrations open
traditionally with the homage to the Unknown Soldier. The Victorian was born as a monument
to a united Italy and to Vittorio Emanuele II, but on June 2nd it takes on a meaning
broader: here the state pays homage to the fallen and transforms national memory into a civil rite.
In 2026 too, the official program includes the laying of the laurel wreath at 9.15 am
by the President of the Republic.
From Piazza Venezia the ceremonial continues towards Via dei Fori Imperiali, where the
parade. The parade passes through one of the monumental axes of the capital, carrying the
celebration in the historic heart of Rome. Scheduled for 10am, it concludes with the overflight of the
Frecce Tricolori and sees the participation of the Armed Forces, state bodies, Protection
civil, Red Cross and institutional representations.
The route then leads to Montecitorio, the central place of the birth of the Republic. After the
referendum, the Constituent Assembly met here for the first time on 25 June 1946,
in the Chamber where the Chamber of Deputies still works today. In those sessions the
Constitution, approved on December 22, 1947 and entered into force on January 1°, 1948. For the
eighty years after the election of the Constituent Assembly, the Chamber hosts the exhibition “1946: the birth of the
Republic. The Constituent Assembly in Montecitorio”, set up in the Sala della Lupa,
where the results of the referendum were proclaimed.
A few steps from Palazzo Madama, the seat of the Senate of the Republic, is Palazzo
Giustiniani, chosen by Enrico De Nicola, provisional Head of State, as his residence in the
post-referendum phase, when the new system had not yet assumed its
final set-up. Here, on December 27, 1947, he signed the act of promulgation of the Constitution,
countersigned by Alcide De Gasperi and Umberto Terracini.
The next stop is the Quirinale, a building that more than others tells the story of the transformation
politics of Italy. Born as a papal residence, which later became a royal palace after the unification,
with the Republic takes on a new function and becomes the seat of the Presidency. The
passage is symbolic: a place linked for centuries to monarchical power becomes the home
institutional of the Head of State, guarantor of national unity. This year the building will be
also the protagonist in the evening with “The Faces of the Republic”, an event scheduled for 9pm in the
square in front and broadcast live on Rai 1.
In the same square is also the Palazzo della Consulta, seat of the Constitutional Court
since 1955. His presence recalls another essential function of the democratic state:
ensure compliance with the Constitution through checks and balances between the powers. After
Montecitorio, Palazzo Giustiniani and the Quirinale, the Consulta closes this section
of the itinerary remembering that the Republic lives not only in its symbols, but also in the
guarantees governing its operation.
Republic Day also offers the opportunity to experience Rome through its spaces
public. On this day, state museums, archaeological parks and cultural sites are
can be visited free of charge, according to ordinary hours and with reservations where required. For whom
find in the capital, the celebrations can therefore be transformed into a broader itinerary:
from the Forums area to the Colosseum, from the Victorian to the institutional buildings, up to the places where the
history of the country continues to be cherished and told.