Italy's Liberation Day — Festa della Liberazione — is a national holiday held every 25 April, a Saturday in 2026. It marks the end of one of the darkest chapters in Italian history. Here's what it commemorates.
See the Italy Liberation Day holiday page or Italy's holiday calendar.
Why is Italy Liberation Day on April 25?
It marks 25 April 1945, near the end of World War II, when the Italian resistance and the National Liberation Committee (CLN) called for a general uprising against the occupying Nazi German forces and the remnants of Mussolini's Fascist regime in northern Italy.
Within days, major cities including Milan and Turin were liberated. The date came to symbolise the end of Nazi occupation and Fascist rule in Italy.
Honouring the Resistance
The heart of the holiday is remembrance of the Resistenza — the partisan resistance movement whose members fought, and often died, to free Italy. Festa della Liberazione celebrates the values of freedom and democracy that emerged from that struggle and shaped the post-war Italian Republic.
How it's celebrated
- Official ceremonies and wreath-laying at war memorials, including by the President.
- Marches and gatherings, often featuring the resistance anthem "Bella Ciao."
- It is a national public holiday.
Quick answers
Why is Italy Liberation Day on April 25? It marks the 1945 uprising that led to the end of Nazi occupation and Fascist rule in northern Italy at the close of World War II.
What is the Festa della Liberazione? Italy's Liberation Day — a national holiday honouring the Resistance and the liberation of Italy in 1945.
What does it commemorate? The end of Nazi German occupation and Mussolini's Fascist regime, and the partisan Resistance that fought them.
When is Italy Liberation Day 2026? Saturday, 25 April 2026 — it is always 25 April.