Veneto,[a] officially the Region of Veneto,[b] is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the north-east of the country. It is the 4th most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025.[2] Venice is the region's capital while Verona is the largest city.
Veneto was part of the Roman Empire until the 5th century AD. Later, after a feudal period, it was part of the Republic of Venice until 1797. Venice ruled for centuries over one of the largest and richest maritime republics and trade empires in the world. After the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna, the former Republic was combined with Lombardy and re-annexed to the Austrian Empire as the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, until that was merged with the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, as a result of the Third Italian War of Independence and of a plebiscite.
Besides Italian, most inhabitants also speak Venetian.[9][10][11] Since 1971, the Statute of Veneto has referred to the region's citizens as "the Venetian people".[12][13] Article 1 defines Veneto as an "autonomous Region", "constituted by the Venetian people and the lands of the provinces of Belluno, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Vicenza", while maintaining "bonds with Venetians in the world". Article 2 sets forth the principle of the "self-government of the Venetian people" and mandates the Region to "promote the historical identity of the Venetian people and civilisation". Despite these affirmations, approved by the Italian Parliament, Veneto is not among the autonomous regions with special statute, unlike its north-eastern and north-western neighbours, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol respectively.
Veneto is home to a notable nationalist movement, known as Venetian nationalism or Venetism. The region's largest party is Liga Veneta, a founding component of Lega Nord. The current President of Veneto is Luca Zaia (Liga Veneta–Lega Nord), re-elected in 2020 with 76.8% of the vote. An autonomy referendum took place in 2017: 57.2% of Venetians turned out, 98.1% voting "yes" to "further forms and special conditions of autonomy".
Having been for a long period in history a land of mass emigration, Veneto is today one of the greatest immigrant-receiving regions in the country, with 655,026 foreigners (13.5% of the regional population in 2024), notably including Romanians (94,962), Moldovans (58,275), Moroccans (57,737), Albanians (48,013) and Chinese (27,603).[14]
Lombardy[b] (Lombard and Italian: Lombardia;[a][c] Romansh: Lumbardia) is an administrative region of Italy that covers 23,844 km2 (9,206 sq mi); it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is located between the Alps mountain range and tributaries of the river Po, and includes Milan, its capital, whose metropolitan area ia the largest in the country and among the largest in the EU.[9]
Its territory is divided into 1,502 comuni (the region with the largest number of comuni in the entire national territory),[10] distributed among 12 administrative subdivisions (11 provinces plus the Metropolitan City of Milan). The region ranks first in Italy in terms of population, population density, and number of local authorities, while it is fourth in terms of surface area, after Sicily, Piedmont, and Sardinia.[11]
It is the second-most populous region of the European Union (EU),[12] and the second region of the European Union by nominal GDP.[13] Lombardy is the leading[14] region of Italy in terms of economic importance,[15] contributing to approximately one-fifth of the national gross domestic product (GDP).[16][17] It is also a member of the Four Motors for Europe, an international economic organization whose other members are Baden-Württemberg in Germany, Catalonia in Spain, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in France. Milan is the economic capital of Italy[18] and is a global centre for business, fashion and finance.
Of the 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy, 11 are in Lombardy, tying it with Castile and León in northwest-central Spain.[19]
The Aosta Valley (Valle d'Aosta) is Italy's smallest autonomous region, located in the northwestern Alps, bordered by France and Switzerland, and known for its stunning mountain scenery, including Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and Gran Paradiso. It's a popular destination for winter sports, hiking, and exploring medieval castles, with a unique French and Italian cultural blend reflected in its language and cuisine. The capital, Aosta, is rich in Roman history, earning it the nickname "Rome of the Alps".
The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle d'Aosta [ˈvalle daˈɔsta]), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley,[a] is a mountainous autonomous region[8] in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, to the west; by Valais, Switzerland, to the north; and by Piedmont, Italy, to the south and east. The regional capital is Aosta.
Aosta Valley
Valle d'Aosta (Italian)
Vallée d'Aoste (French)
Val d'Aoûta (Arpitan)
In 1031–1032, Humbert I of Savoy, the founder of the House of Savoy, received the title Count of Aosta from Emperor Conrad II of the Franconian line and built himself a commanding fortification at Bard. Saint Anselm of Canterbury was born in Aosta in 1033 or 1034. The region was divided among strongly fortified castles, and in 1191, Thomas I of Savoy found it necessary to grant to the communes a Charte des franchises ("Charter of Liberties") which preserved autonomy—rights that were fiercely defended until 1770, when they were revoked to tie Aosta more closely to Piedmont, but which were again demanded during post-Napoleonic times. In the mid-13th century, Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta a duchy (see Duke of Aosta), and its arms charged with a lion rampant were carried in the Savoy arms until the reunification of Italy in 1870.[14]
The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exceptions of French occupations from 1539 to 1563, later in 1691, and then between 1704 and 1706. It was also ruled by the First French Empire between 1800 and 1814. During French rule, it was part of Aoste arrondissement in Doire department.[15] As part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, it joined the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
French forces briefly controlled the area at the end of World War II, but withdrew under British and American pressure.[16] The region gained special autonomous status after the end of World War II; the province of Aosta ceased to exist in 1945.
Early inhabitants of the Aosta Valley were Celts and Ligures, whose language heritage remains in some local placenames. Rome conquered the region from the local Salassi around 25 BC and founded Augusta Prætoria Salassorum (modern-day Aosta) to secure the strategic mountain passes, and they went on to build bridges and roads through the mountains. Thus, the name Valle d'Aosta literally means "Valley of Augustus".[13]
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