La Festa della Repubblica

On June 2, Italy celebrates La Festa della Repubblica, or Republic Day. The national holiday commemorates the date when Italians voted to abolish the monarchy and form a republic.

Why June 2

The vote took place in 1946. World War II had just ended — and with it Fascism — and the Italian people were eager to usher in a new chapter of freedom. Since then, Italy has been a unitary parliamentary republic.

How Italy marks the day

June 2 is a major holiday in Italy. Offices, banks and schools close, grand parades march and a ceremonial wreath is laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb and its eternal flame are enshrined in the Altare della Patria in Rome, a modern symbol of Italy.

One republic, 20 regions

At Eataly, we celebrate Republic Day by — you guessed it — eating the food of Italy. Italian cuisine is renowned across the world, and it changes from region to region. Italy was not unified as a country until 1861, so regional traditions still run deep. Each of the 20 regions developed its own culture and cuisine over centuries, shaped by its biodiversity. The environment varies across the peninsula and creates microclimates that produce thousands of plant and animal varieties.

Pasta shows the difference. It is everywhere in Italy today, but the style depends on the ingredients that were traditionally readily available:

• Tajarin al ragù from Piemonte, a classic dish of northwestern Italy: thin fresh egg pasta made with abundant egg yolks, simply tossed with a meat sauce.
• Pasta alla Norma from Sicily, a light southern-style pasta made of flour and water, tossed with eggplant, ricotta and basil.

The two are hardly in the same category.

How to celebrate

Choose a region and recreate one of its traditional dishes. Our pick today is caprese, the refreshing salad with colors that reflect the Italian flag.