by Eric J. Lyman
ROME, June 1 (Xinhua) -- As Italy gears up to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the modern Italian republic on Friday, historians say that after three generations, the national holiday is already starting to ring a little hollow.
On June 2, 1946, results of a national vote formally closed the door on more than two decades of fascism, and pushed away ties to the monarchs from the House of Savoy, so began the republic that exists to this day.
On Friday, government offices, schools, and banks will close, and Rome will hold a military parade presided over by Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Other cities will celebrate as well, mirrored by special events at Italian embassies in other countries.
But according to Emilio Gentile, a history professor with Rome's La Sapienza University, the event has lost some of its meaning compared with 20 or 30 years ago.
"At one time, celebrations on June 2 sparked a kind of civic pride and patriotism, but that has been lost," Gentile told Xinhua.
Anthony Lazio, an Italian based in London and an author specializing in modern history, agreed. "The holiday was a bigger deal when 1946 was fresh in people's memories," Lazio said in an interview. "But now, it might as well be 1846 or 1746. It's an ageing anniversary that doesn't resonate."
According to Gentile, part of the problem is economic. In fact, it was due to economic concerns that the military parade, the center of the celebrations in the Italian capital, was downsized a few years back.
Lazio said Italy's integration into the European Union (EU) is probably also a factor, shifting some focus to Italy's shared history with other European partners rather than on strictly Italian events.
Gentile also said there are too many key dates to celebrate in Italy. In addition to June 2, there are celebrations to mark April 25, 1945, when Italy was formally liberated from occupation of German forces in World War II, or March 17, 1861, when the collection of small kingdoms and duchies were united to form a single state.
"There's no single day Italians can point to the way the French do on July 14, or the Americans do with July 4," the professor said.
Lazio said he could imagine a future in which the importance of June 2 diminishes to the point that it is taught in schools, but little else. Enditem
