La Festa della Repubblica or the Italian Republic Day is the Italian National Day celebrated on June the 2nd of each year. On this date, in 1946, was held the institutional referendum in which the Italian people voted to choose between republic and monarchy and deciding on this way the form of government following the events of Second World War, and the fall of fascism. The Italians voted in favor of the republic, and the male descendants of the House of Savoy were sent into exile.

This was also the first time in Italian history in which the vote was by universal suffrage, given that women also voted in the referendum. The referendum put an end to the Kingdom of Italy that since 1861, the date of unification, for 85 years, had been led by the royal family of the Savoy, and gave birth to the Italian Republic. In this way Italy passed from a constitutional monarchy to a parliamentary republic.

On June 2 and 3 were the first elections after 22 years of the fascist regime (the last were in 1924). Two voters were given to the electors, Italian citizens of both sexes over the age of 21. The first for the institutional referendum and the second for the election of deputies of the Constituent Assembly, that would have had the task of drafting the new constitution according to the orientation emerged from the referendum.

On July the 1st Enrico De Nicola was appointed first president of the Italian Republic, Alcide De Gasperi was the first president of the Council and on January the 1st 1948, the new Constitution of the Italian Republic came into force. 

It was decided immediately to celebrate the Republic Day on the anniversary of the referendum. The official ceremonial of the Republic Day provides that the President of the Republic place a laurel wreath in homage to the Unknown Soldier, in the Altar of the Fatherland. On June the 2nd is easy to listen to the national anthem called Inno di Mameli even though in reality is called Canto degli italiani.