2 June is Republic Day in Italy, when the country commemorates the day in 1946 when Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. It is a national holiday and shops and offices will be closed.

In Rome in the morning the president of the republic Giorgio Napolitano will preside over the traditional wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier on the Vittoriano monument in Piazza Venezia. This will be followed by a military parade along Via dei Fori Imperiali and an aerial display by the Italian air force