La Casa di Savoia -- barred from entering Italy up to 2002

Luigi Speranza

Following Vittorio Emmanuel III's abdication as 're' in 1946, his son, the new king Umberto II, was pressured by the threat of civil war to call a referendum to decide whether Italy should remain a monarchy or become a republic.

On 2 June 1946, the republican side won 54% of the vote and Italy officially became a republic.

The table of results shows some relevant differences in the different parts of Italy.

The peninsula seemed to be drastically cut in two areas: the North for the republic (with 66.2%), the South for the monarchy (with 63.8%), as if they were two different, respectively homogeneous countries.

Some Monarchist groups claimed that there was manipulation by Northern Republicans and Socialists. Others argued that Italy was still too chaotic in 1946 to have an accurate referendum.

Regardless, to prevent civil war, Umberto II abdicated the Italian throne, and a new republic was born with bitter resentment by the new government against the House of Savoy.

All MALE members of the Savoy family were barred from entering Italy in 1948, which was only repealed in 2002.