Italy marks 75th anniversary of liberation

Rome: Italy celebrates the 75th Festa della Liberazione Saturday, an annual public holiday marking the country’s liberation from German occupation and fascist rule at the end of world war two.

Traditionally the day is marked with large rallies in Rome and Milan, organised by the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d’Italia (ANPI), with all public offices and most shops closed across Italy.

However this year the holiday occurred in the middle of a lockdown due to the coronavirus emergency in Italy, meaning that no public rallies will take place.

Instead ANPI invited quarantined Italians to sing Bella Ciao, the anthem of the anti-fascist resistance, from their balconies.