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 fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of about five million. 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 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 , as a result of the Third Italian War of Independence and of a plebiscite.
Besides Italian , most inhabitants also speak Venetian. 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". 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.
An autonomy referendum took place in 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 , foreigners 9. Veneto is the 8th largest region in Italy, with a total area of 18, In its northernmost corner it also borders Austria. The north—south extension of Veneto is km mi from the Austrian border to the mouth of the River Po. The highest massif in the Dolomites is the Marmolada -massif at 3, m 10, ft.
The Venetian Prealps are not as high and range between m 2, ft and 2, m 7, ft. A distinctive landmark of the Pre-alps are the cave formations, including chasms and sink holes; the Spluta Della Preta , situated in the Monti Lessini chain in the province of Verona , has an explored depth of m 3, ft , being the deepest cave in Italy.
