Since there was a more pronounced independence referendum on Crimea the independence referendum in Venice area (Veneto - Italy) which is not recognized by central government in Rome is taking place from 16. - 21. of march 2014 wen't by unnoticed. It is just a coincidence that the Crimea referendum happened on the same day.

I find it very strange that no continental european media is reporting about the Venetian independence referendum. The referendum my not be legally binding for Italy but really ask yourselves which country would allow a region to secede. The exception there is Britain with the Scotish independence referendum.

Here are two links to reports about the referendum on BBC and Telegraph newspaper in Britiain:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26604044
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10698299/Venice-prepares-for-referendum-on-secession-from-Italy.html

What do you think will Italy allow Venice and the rest of area of the former Republic of Venice allow to secede? Wil it be democratically?

And just to mention - Italian media are blocking any reporting about this referendum inside Italy.

Venice independent? the fuck?
It sounds like a joke.
are they at the moment an autonomy or like Scotland and Crimea have separate government?

A cruel man would give them full independence. Kick them out of EU, Eurozone. Disconnect power, water, garbage removal. Demand visas to enter Italy and then just watch the 'country' die... and literally drown in case of the city itself.

It's not a joke the referendum for independence was announced one year ago and Italy is a type of federal government with several smaller regions with local parliaments and Veneto region has no autonomy where as Friulia-Venezia Giulia that was also part of Republic of Venice has limited autonomy.

Link with the region that wants to secede: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veneto

It is possible that this includes also other regions of northern Italy that were once part of Venetian republic before it was annexed when Italy was formed like Friulia-Venezia Guilia.

From the article: "the vote will not be legally binding."

North Italy sometimes wanted to go separate ways from the South. For self-determination, they would need to be recognized as different from other Italians...

We will se what happens but they did say they will declare independence if the vote is sucessfull and it true that it is not legally binding for Italy since Italy does not allow secession of its regions it is similar to the problem with the Catalonian region in Spain. It was said by the organizators that they have the right to self-determination since Venetian republic was annexed against its will when Italy was formed long time ago.

Yeah, sounds like an evil mastermind getting revenge on Venice because once he went there as a tourist and a pizza place ripped him off.

From what I've heard of Catalonia, they actually *do* have the right to secede. The government simply isn't letting them.

it is a joke in my opinion. yes. it is happening but venice asking for independence is just a ridiculous thing. so not a joke as its not real but a joke because it is plain stupid for venice for it to be happening.

Just to let you know I posted a wrong link to wikipedia above. The right region is Veneto, although Friulia-Venezia Guilia was also part of Republic of Venice.

I suppose you read the episode where Uncle Scrooge formed his own country, right? Because it certainly sounds like that's pretty much your only reference for the situation.

Why do you think it is so ridiculous?

If they formed a country, they probably wouldn't automatically be in the EU anyway, so they couldn't really be kicked out. They could probably buy their power from many other sources if Italy wouldn't sell it to them. Not to mention they probably have their own power plants as well. I'm pretty sure they don't get their water from 500 kilometers away from the heart of Italy. They probably have their own local garbage removal and they can probably buy disposal services from other countries if they lack facilities. Or just build the facilities. It's not like you drown in waste in 5 years. Demand visas to enter Italy? That would ruin the country in your opinion?

Crimea is inhabited by Russians, so the referendum is somewhat legitimate. As a southern Italian guy, I can say with no doubt that Venice is (also) inhabited by a small population of assholes, so they can take their referendum and put it up their butthole :-P

This is nothing but a provocation.
Venice, and all the Veneto region, is no less Italy than Rome, or any other region.
There's no such a thing as a "Venetian majority" versus an "Italian minority", as happened in Crimea; our State is not federal, the division in "Regioni" is mainly due to civil functions, not law or economics (though there are some exceptions).
Crimea was Ukrainian since 1954, while Veneto is in Italy since 1866 - just too long to pretend it's a temporary annexation!
This referendum is a reflection of the discontent some of the Northern populations have against central government, which is felt as corrupted (well, it is) and spendthrift - their main reason is "why should we pay taxes that will go wasted in other regions?" - it's economy, not identity.
There's also a widespread prejudice that southern regions are populated by idle people who prefer charity and thievery to work - I should not underline how silly it is.

The referendum has been proposed by Lega Nord ( the North league), a party that is mainly devoted to this prejudice, to the point they refer to other Northern cultures for their political imagery and myths (for example, Celtic culture, which really does not belongs to us - or them!); for most people which as sane enough to reject prejudice, this simply expresses the will to refuse our government, not really secession from the State.

It's worth highlighting that the Lega Nord party is becoming more and more irrelevant and it's highly doubtful it will get enough votes to be in Rome's Parliament after the next political elections....

Finally, a reply that counts because an *italian* wrote it. The rest is cancan.

I hope that, but one cannot be sure, considering its connections with Silvio's party, mafia, and lately, support by Beppe Grillo. I fear that we'll have a 5 Stars - Lega Nord alliance next time.

To go back on topic, do not confuse Veneto with Venezia-Giulia, they are entirely different for population, location (Venezia-Giulia is really at the boundary) and history.

Oh, and remember that Lega North is the party that kept for several year as its "charismatic leader" a man who had a cerebral stroke that left him heavily impaired (he has and speaking problems) and that one of their mottos was "Northern people have *it* hard". [url=http://www.lettera43.it/upload/images/08_2012/l43-pontida-lega-nord-120808151850_big.jpg]Here is a picture from one of their meetings. How fascinating!