June 2nd in Rome
 

Because I'm an idiot...I didn't realize June 2 was a holiday in Italy. Oops.

If we planned tours on the Vatican side of town on that day, will that help us avoid the crowds? Or should we look into making June 2nd a travel day to our next stop?

TIA

The city as a whole won't be terribly crowded for the Festa della Repubblica. In the morning the President of the Republic will make a speech at the Vittorio Emanuele monument, also known as "the wedding cake". Then there will be a parade, and a aereonautical flyover by the Frecce Tricolore, displaying the colors of the Italian flag. All of this will attract crowds in that area, but the rest of the city won't be much impacted. Most of the crowds will be locals or day-trippers. It should pretty much all be in the morning.

This year, June 2nd is a Friday, which will probably attract some Italians to make a three-day weekend in Rome, and in other cities and scenic locations. If you're not interested in seeing the Frecce Tricolore, it would be a good day to visit other parts of the city, or the Vatican. Most museums will be open. Almost any other location will be fine, maybe even less crowded than usual. Just plan to visit the Capitoline Museum, Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum on a different day.