25th of April in Italy: what is celebrated and why

The 25th of April is Liberation Day in Italy. In many cities, there are commemoration events, and it is one of the most popular holidays in Italy. It allows the start of spring holiday weekends as a public holiday: many Italians take advantage of it to spend a few days at the seaside, mountains, or art city.

The 25th of April is one of Italy's most important historical dates: it is the anniversary of the liberation of Italy from the fascist regime and the Nazi occupation on the 25th of April 1945.

It is called Liberation Day and was proposed and confirmed as a national holiday by Alcide De Gasperi, Prime Minister, from the 22nd of April 1946. He issued a lieutenant's decree that read: 'In celebration of the total liberation of Italian territory, the 25th of April 1946 is declared a national holiday'.

It was an unforgettable day, and there are many reconstructions with photos and videos. Sandro Pertini's announcement is very famous: 'Citizens, workers! General strike against the German occupation, against the fascist war, for the salvation of our lands, our homes, our workshops. As in Genoa and Turin, confront the Germans with the dilemma: surrender or perish".

The 25th of April is a public holiday, and therefore all public offices are closed. Banks, the post office, town halls and other public bodies are closed, like schools and some shops.

In many towns, especially in those decorated for military valor for the liberation, events are organised to commemorate this occasion.

The most important event is in Rome: the solemn homage paid by the President of the Republic and the highest state officials to the Unknown Soldier, with the famous laying of the laurel wreath in memory of the fallen and missing in the war.

The 25th of April is one of the first holidays and one of the first long weekends of the year: the Italians take advantage of to go on holiday. Some people choose the sea or the mountains, and other citizens move from one city to another or prefer a weekend at the lake.

Many people do not work and therefore enjoy this special holiday. Many hotels at the seaside and in the mountains open on this holiday.

Each year, there are different ways to participate in the remembrance of this important historical day, from North to South. In addition to the solemn celebrations, and processions in Rome there is the traditional airshow of the Frecce Tricolore, an authentically Italian spectacle by the Italian Air Force's National Aerobatic Patrol.

Among the numerous events to spend this National Day of Celebration, we would like to point out the event to be held on 25 April 2024 from 10:00 to 20:00 at Casa Cervi, a museum located in Gattatico and dedicated to the Cervi brothers' commitment to the activities they undertook against the fascist regime and the founding values of the Resistance. Involved guests will include Frankie Hi-NRG MC and singer-songwriter Giancane.

During the 79th anniversary of this unmissable national holiday, Civitella in Val di Chiana awarded the Gold Medal for Civil Valour, will welcome the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, who will make an official visit to the places where the massacre by Nazi-Fascist troops took place in 1944.

The celebrations will continue on Capri with the organization of an enthralling free concert, which will take place in Piazza dei Martiri from 5 to 8 p.m., with artistic direction by Vasco Brondi. According to the latest news, the event will include the participation of well-known artists, such as Nada, Francesca Michielin, Dario Brunori, Massimo Zamboni, and writers Silvia Ballestra and Paolo Cognetti, for a marvelous afternoon of music and poetry.

Based on the original idea of Silvano Sarti, a Tuscan partisan, Florence will pay homage to Liberation Day by inaugurating the Widespread Museum of the Resistance in the city's libraries and in an area of Palazzo Vecchio so that visitors can enjoy an immersive experience to relive the main events of this decisive moment in history by proposing exhibits and engaging multimedia shreds of evidence.

On the occasion of Liberation Day, you can attend the concert of Fatoumata Diawara, a famous singer and actress from the Ivory Coast who will dedicate her show to the resistant youth at the Teatro Regio in Turin on April 25th, 2024. Admission to the event is free, but you must book on the Torino Jazz Festival website. The schedule of celebrations also includes the show A Gramsci Never Seen by Angelo d'Orsi, which will take place on April 27th, 2024 at 3 pm at the Teatro Gobetti.