80 Years On, Republic Day Meets the First Summer Getaway

Italy will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Republic on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, commemorating the historic referendum of 1946 in which Italians voted to replace the monarchy with a republic. The vote also marked the first time Italian women were able to participate in a national election.

In Florence, the anniversary will be marked with a full day of public events organised by the city administration and state authorities, while across Tuscany tourism operators are preparing for one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year.

A date that shaped modern Italy

Republic Day is one of Italy’s most important national holidays. The referendum held on 2 June 1946 came less than a year after the end of the Second World War and the fall of Fascism. Italians chose a republican form of government, bringing an end to the House of Savoy’s monarchy and opening the way to the drafting of the Italian Constitution.

For many Italians, the holiday is both a civic celebration and an opportunity to travel, especially when it creates a long weekend. This year’s anniversary carries particular symbolic weight as it marks eight decades since the birth of the Republic.

Although Italians voted in the referendum on 2 June 1946, the first public holiday celebrating the birth of the Republic was actually held on 11 June 1946. That was the day when the results became official and the new republican state formally came into being. From the following year, however, the anniversary was moved to 2 June, the date of the referendum itself, which has remained Italy’s national day ever since.

Florence celebrations

The official programme in Florence will begin at 10 a.m. with a ceremonial flag-raising in Piazza della Repubblica. At 10:30 a.m., Piazza della Signoria will host the city’s main Republic Day ceremony, followed by the presentation of honours awarded by the President of the Republic through the Prefecture of Florence.

The celebrations will continue throughout the day. From 9 a.m. on 2 June until 12 June, Palazzo Vecchio’s Michelozzo Courtyard will host the exhibition Marianne d’Italia. At 6 p.m., a public screening of Paola Cortellesi’s film There’s Still Tomorrow (C’è ancora domani) is scheduled in Piazza della Signoria. The evening will conclude at 8:45 p.m. with a live broadcast from Rome of The Faces of the Republic – 80 Years Since the Referendum, transmitted from the Quirinale Palace.

Free Museum Entry

Visitors in Florence will be able to explore some of the city’s most famous museums free of charge on June 2, Italy’s Republic Day. State museums taking part in the initiative include the Galleria dell’Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s David, the Uffizi Galleries, the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, the Medici Chapels, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.

Most museums will follow their regular opening hours, although visitors should expect longer queues due to the free admission policy. The initiative is promoted by Italy’s Ministry of Culture as part of the national celebrations marking the anniversary of the 1946 referendum that established the Italian Republic.

Reservations are generally not available for free-entry days, meaning access is granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Travelers planning to visit Florence during the national holiday are advised to arrive early, especially at major attractions such as the Accademia and the Uffizi, which are expected to be among the busiest sites.

Tuscany prepares for a busy holiday weekend

The Republic Day holiday is also expected to provide an early indication of summer tourism trends.

According to estimates by the Centro Studi Turistici of Florence for Assoturismo Confesercenti Toscana, around one million overnight stays are expected across the region between 29 May and 2 June. Art cities, coastal destinations and hill towns are expected to see the strongest demand.

Accommodation occupancy rates are forecast to reach 93% in Tuscany’s art cities and 92% in seaside destinations. Rural and hill areas are expected to reach 91%, while spa resorts and mountain destinations are projected at 84% and 78% respectively.

Among the strongest-performing destinations are Elba Island, with an estimated occupancy rate of 97%, and the Mugello area north of Florence, where the MotoGP Italian Grand Prix is helping drive visitor numbers. Strong demand is also expected in Chianti, Val d’Orcia and Lunigiana.

First test of the summer travel season

The long weekend is also expected to generate heavy traffic across Italy.

Road operator Anas forecasts around 45 million vehicle journeys nationwide during the Republic Day holiday period, describing it as the first major test of the summer travel season. Increased traffic is expected on routes connecting major cities with coastal destinations, including the Tyrrhenian corridor that links Lazio, Tuscany and Liguria.

For Florence and Tuscany, the combination of a major national anniversary, favourable weather and the first extended holiday period of the season is likely to bring both residents and visitors into city centres, museums, beaches and countryside destinations across the region. Eighty years after Italians chose the Republic, 2 June remains both a moment of national reflection and one of the traditional gateways to the Italian summer.

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