In the garden of Italian residency in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) capital Sarajevo, the traditional celebration of the Italian Republic’s Day was held on Monday evening.
Italian Ambassador to BiH Nicola Minasi and his wife, hosted some two hundred persons from BiH’s political, diplomatic, cultural and public life.
“This year, Italian Republic’s Day was an opportunity for the formation of a new government after the elections in March. It is not often that we celebrate these two events together,” Minasi said at the beginning of his welcoming speech.
“Another reason for the celebration is that Italy took over the chairmanship of the OSCE, and on that occasion we have prepared many activities.” We have a conference dedicated to the fight for whistleblower on Tuesday. “Francesca Businarolo, a member of Italian Parliament arrived in Sarajevo. In addition, Minasi pointed out on the significant co-operation between BiH and Italy on the economic plan, especially in the banking sector, emphasizing the fact that one in every three BAM in our country is invested in Italian banks.
Republic Day, also known as Festa della Repubblica in Italian (Festival of the Republic), is a national holiday in Italy on June 2 each year. It celebrates the day when Italians voted to abolish the monarchy in 1946 so their country could become a republic.
On June 2, 1946, many Italians voted in a referendum to rid of the monarchy and for the country to become a republic. The public was hostile to the monarchy, which had supported Benito Mussolini’s rule. Around that time, the Italian royal family was also exiled from Italy.
Each year, a wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Republic Day. The tomb, which also has an eternal flame, was added to the one of Italy’s largest national monuments, Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), on November 4, 1921. However, the tomb, which was designed by sculptor Alberto Sparapani, was not completed until 1924.
