Above: Italian resistance fighters in Piazza San Marco, Venice in 1945 (images via the Archivio Luce).

Today is Italian Liberation Day: Festa della Liberazione, April 25. Established in 1946, it commemorates the end of Nazi and Fascist rule in Italy.

It’s a national holiday in Italy and most Italians took yesterday and today off from work (an Italian ponte or bridge, as it’s called, a long weekend).

This morning, a colleague and friend from Italy sent me the following message.

“Buon 25 aprile,” he wrote. “Viva l’Italia, libera e antifascista 🇮🇹”

“Happy Liberation Day. Long live Italy [and may it remain] free and anti-fascist.”

Check out this slide show by the Archivio Luce. It features images from Italy after Mussolini’s fall.

Happy Italian Liberation Day! Long live Italy and may it remain free and anti-fascist!