“Roma è caput mundi.”
Rome is the capital of the world.
Buongiorno and welcome to the Festa della Repubblica — Italy's 80th Republic Day! Today Rome is the heart of the nation as the anniversary of the 1946 referendum that abolished the monarchy is celebrated with the traditional military parade along Via dei Fori Imperiali, the roar of the Frecce Tricolori painting the sky in green, white, and red, and free access to state museums and archaeological sites across the city. This year's milestone carries extra weight: eight decades since Italian women voted for the first time in a national election, and since the country chose a democratic path after the ruins of war and fascism. The celebrations run from the 9:15 flag-raising at the Altare della Patria through to tonight's gala, 'I Volti della Repubblica', at Piazza del Quirinale. Warm and sunny with highs near 29°C, a light southerly breeze — a perfect Roman June day for celebration.
President Sergio Mattarella led the nation's 80th Festa della Repubblica celebrations this morning, laying a laurel wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Altare della Patria before reviewing troops along Via dei Fori Imperiali. Thousands of members of Italy's armed forces, civil protection corps, and mounted Carabinieri regiments marched past the presidential tribune under clear Roman skies. The parade was capped by the traditional flypast of the Frecce Tricolori, whose ten-jet formation traced the Italian tricolour across the skyline above the Colosseum and the Vittoriano. New this year is the evening event 'I Volti della Repubblica' (Faces of the Republic), a live performance with music, dance, and theatre staged in Piazza del Quirinale and broadcast on Rai 1 from 9pm, honouring stories of Italians who have shaped the Republic since 1946.
Rome's Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into last week's incident in which thirty army horses bolted along Via Cristoforo Colombo during a late-night rehearsal for the 2 June parade, leaving four people injured. The animals were spooked by fireworks allegedly set off by a traffic policeman approximately 200 metres from the staging area at the Baths of Caracalla. Three young soldiers of the Lancieri di Montebello regiment and a policewoman sustained fractures and contusions; one soldier suffered a punctured lung from a cracked rib. None are in life-threatening condition. The Carabinieri have submitted a preliminary report, and prosecutors are considering charges including personal injury and property damage. The defence ministry confirmed that all horses were safely recovered and are receiving veterinary care.
In keeping with a tradition now in its fourth year, Italy's Ministry of Culture has opened all state museums and archaeological parks free of charge for Republic Day. In Rome, visitors can enter the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the National Roman Museum (Palazzo Massimo, Terme di Diocleziano, Palazzo Altemps), the Baths of Caracalla, the Galleria Borghese, Castel Sant'Angelo, and the Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia without a ticket (advance booking required at some venues). The Pantheon offers free entry without reservation. A special photographic exhibition titled 'Women of the Republic. Eighty Years of Conquests in the ANSA Chronicles, 1946–2026' is on display at the Vicolo Valdina complex in Piazza Campo Marzio until 30 June, tracing the journey of women's rights in Italy through 122 archival images. The Casa del Cinema in Villa Borghese is screening Paola Cortellesi's 'There's Still Tomorrow' (C'è ancora domani) at 8pm, a tribute to women's first vote in 1946.
Rome's tourism board has reported an estimated 316,000 arrivals and 700,000 overnight stays over the extended June 2nd weekend, a 0.4% increase on last year's figures. The long weekend — with the holiday falling on a Tuesday and many Romans and Italians taking the Monday as a 'ponte' — has filled hotels and trattorias across the historic centre. The four-day break saw the finish of the 109th Giro d'Italia at the Circus Maximus on Sunday, the conclusion of the Piazza di Siena equestrian event in Villa Borghese, and the Italian fencing championships at the Pincio. 'These numbers are the result of a strategy to leverage major events as drivers of economic growth and tourism,' said Rome's tourism councillor Alessandro Onorato. 'Rome has returned to life, dynamic and organized.'