Venetian nationalism

Venetian nationalism (also Venetism, from the Venetian/Italian name, venetismo) is a nationalist, but primarily regionalist, movement active in Veneto, Italy, as well as in other parts of the former Republic of Venice.

It promotes the rediscovery of the Republic of Venice's heritage, traditions, culture, and language, and demanding more autonomy or even independence from Italy for Veneto. According to journalist Paolo Possamai, Venetism is "the strain of Veneto and Venetians toward the recognition of their identity and autonomy". Venetism is a broad movement, which definitely includes Venetist parties, notably Liga Veneta, but also encompasses people from all the political parties.

Most Venetists consider Veneto to be a nation distinct from Italy and often refuse the validity of the result of the referendum with which Veneto (or, better, Venetia, see below) was united with Italy in 1866. Some, as the members of the Venetian National Party/Veneto State and those of Venetian Independence, have long proposed a re-edition of that referendum and campaign for the independence of Venetia, a country that would be composed of all the territories of the historical Venetian Republic, covering current Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, large chunks of Lombardy (the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo, the area around Crema and a portion of the province of Mantua), and Trentino, which was never fully part of the Republic of Venice, but is broadly culturally Venetian. The proposal, regarding to Veneto alone, has more recently gained the support of Liga Veneta, the Government of Veneto, and the majority of the Regional Council of Veneto, which endorsed a bill aimed at organising the referendum in 2014.

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