Northern Italy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  Italy |
| Regions | |
| Area | |
• Total | 120,312.72 km2 (46,453.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2025)[2] | |
• Total | 27,521,524 |
| • Density | 228.74991/km2 (592.45955/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| – Official language | Italian |
| –Official linguistic minorities[3] | |
| – Regional languages | |
Northern Italy (Italian:Italia Settentrionale,Nord Italia,Alta Italia) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part ofItaly.[4][5] TheItalian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the fournorthwesternregions ofPiedmont,Aosta Valley,Liguria andLombardy in addition to the fournortheasternregions ofTrentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol,Veneto,Friuli-Venezia Giulia andEmilia-Romagna.[6]
With a population of 27.5 million in an area of 120,312.72 km2 (46,453.00 sq mi) as of 2025, the region covers roughly 40% of Italy and contains 46% of its population.[2][1] Two of Italy's largest metropolitan areas,Milan andTurin, are located in the region. Northern Italy's GDP was estimated at€1 trillion in 2021, accounting for 56.5% of the Italian economy.[7]
Northern Italy has a rich and distinct culture.[8] Thirty-seven of the fifty-nineWorld Heritage Sites in Italy are found in the region.Rhaeto-Romance andGallo-Italic languages are spoken in the region, as opposed to theItalo-Dalmatian languages spoken in the rest of Italy. TheVenetian language is sometimes considered to be part of the Italo-Dalmatian languages, but some major publications such asEthnologue (to whichUNESCO refers on its page about endangered languages) andGlottolog define it as Gallo-Italic.[9][10]
Northern Italy was called by different terms in different periods of history. During ancient times the termsCisalpine Gaul, Gallia Citerior or Gallia Togata were used to define that part ofItaly inhabited byCelts (Gauls) between the 4th and 3rd century BC.Conquered by the Roman Republic in the 220s BC, it was aRoman province from c. 81 BC until 42 BC, when it was merged intoRoman Italy.[12][13] Until that time, it was considered part ofGaul, precisely that part of Gaul on the "hither side of theAlps" (from the perspective of the Romans), as opposed toTransalpine Gaul ("on the far side of the Alps").
After thefall of the Roman Empire and the settlement of theLombards the name Langobardia Maior was used, in theearly Middle Ages, to define the domains of theLombard Kingdom in northern Italy with capitalPavia.[14] The Lombard territories beyond were called Langobardia Minor, consisting of the duchies ofSpoleto andBenevento.
During thelate Middle Ages, after the fall of the northern part of the Lombard Kingdom toCharlemagne, the term Longobardia was used to mean northern Italy within the medievalKingdom of Italy. As the area became partitioned into regional states, the term Lombardy subsequently shifted to indicate only the area of the Duchies ofMilan,Mantua,Parma andModena and later only to the area aroundMilan.
More recently, the termAlta Italia (Italian for 'High Italy') became widely used, for such by theComitato di Liberazione Nazionale Alta Italia during theSecond World War. In the 1960s, the termPadania began to be sometimes used as a geographical synonym of thePo Valley. The term appeared sparingly until the early 1990s, whenLega Nord, then a secessionist political party, proposedPadania as a possible name for an independent state in northern Italy, giving the term a strong political connotation.
For statistical purposes, theItalian National Institute of Statistics uses the termsnorthwest Italy andnortheast Italy for two of Italy's five statistical regions in its reporting. These same subdivisions are used to demarcate first-levelNomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) regions ("NUTS 1 regions") within theEuropean Union, and the Italian constituencies for theEuropean Parliament.
In pre-Roman centuries it was inhabited by different peoples among whom theLigures, the ancientVeneti, who prospered through their trade in amber and breeding of horses, theEtruscans, attested in northern Italy at least since the earlyIron Age during theVillanova period,[15][16][17] founded the city ofBologna and spread the use of writing; later, starting from the 5th century BC, the area was invaded byCeltic – Gallic tribes. These people founded several cities likeTurin andMilan and extended their rule from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. Their development was halted by theRoman expansion in the Po Valley from the 3rd century BC onwards. After centuries of struggle, probably officially around 81 BC, the entire area of what is now northern Italy became a Roman province with the name ofGallia Cisalpina ("Gaul on the inner side (with respect to Rome) of the Alps").
In 49 BC, with theLex Roscia,Julius Caesar granted to the populations of the province full Roman citizenship. TheRubicon River marked its southern boundary withItalia proper. By crossing this river in 49 BC with his loyalXIII Legion,[18] returning from the conquest ofGaul, Julius Caesar precipitated the civil war within the Roman Republic which led, eventually, to the establishment of theRoman Empire. To this day the term "crossing the Rubicon" means, figuratively, "reaching the point of no return". In late antiquity, the strategic role of northern Italy was emphasized by the moving of the capital of the Western Empire from Rome toMediolanum in 286 and later toRavenna from 402 until theempire collapsed in 476.
After the fall of theWestern Empire, northern Italy suffered heavily from destruction brought about bymigration from Germanic peoples. In 493 theOstrogoths managed to create a stable and prosperouskingdom, with its capital first inRavenna and then inPavia, but theGothic War caused the kingdom to fall and devastated the region. In the 570s the GermanicLombards, or Longobardi, entered northern Italy fromFriuli and founded along-lasting reign (with its capital inPavia) that gave the medieval name to the whole northern Italy and the current name to the Lombardy region.[19] After the initial struggles, relationships between the Lombard people and the Latin-speaking people improved. In the end, the Lombard language and culture assimilated with the Latin culture, leaving evidence in many names, the legal code and laws, and other things. The end of Lombard rule came in 774, when theFrankish kingCharlemagneconquered Pavia, deposedDesiderius, the last Lombard king, and annexed the Lombard Kingdom to his empire changing the name inKingdom of Italy. The formerLombard dukes were mostly replaced by Frankish counts, prince-bishops or marquises.
In the 10th century, north Italy, although formally under the rule of theHoly Roman Empire, was included in thekingdom of Italy, of whichPavia remained the capital until 1024, however, gradually, starting from the last decades of the 11th century was in fact divided in a multiplicity of small, autonomous city-states, themedieval communes andmaritime republic. The 11th century marked a significant boom in northern Italy's economy, due to improved trading and agricultural innovations, culture flourished as well with many universities founded, among them theUniversity of Bologna, theworld's oldest university in continuous operation.[20]
The increasing richness of the city-states made them able to defy the traditional feudal supreme power, represented by the German emperors and their local vassals. This process led to the creation of differentLombard Leagues formed by allied cities of Lombardy that defeated the Hohenstaufen EmperorFrederick I, atLegnano, and his grandsonFrederick II, atParma, and becoming virtually independent from the German emperors. Although having the military purpose as preponderant, the Lombard League also had its own stable government, considered one of the first examples ofconfederation in Europe.[21]
The Leagues failed to develop from an alliance to a lasting confederation and subsequently, among the various local city-states, a process of consolidation took place; most of them became lordships ruled by powerful families like theDella Scala ofVerona or theVisconti of Milan, and conquered neighbouring cities threatening to unify northern Italy into one kingdom, a revived Lombard empire.[22]
In the end, a balance of power was reached in 1454 with thePeace of Lodi and northern Italy ended up divided between a small number of regional states, the most powerful were the Duchies ofSavoy,Milan,Mantua,Ferrara and the Republics ofGenoa andVenice, which had begun to extend its influence in the mainland from the 14th century onwards.
In the 15th century, northern Italy became one of the centres of theRenaissance whose culture and works of art were highly regarded. The enterprising class of the communes extended its trade and banking activities well into northern Europe and "Lombards", the term that designated the merchants or bankers coming from northern Italy, were present in all of Europe.[23] TheItalian Wars between 1494 and 1559 ended the north Italian Renaissance and brought the region to be fought betweenFrance and the Spanish and AustrianHouse of Habsburg. After the decisiveBattle of Pavia, most of present-day Lombardy became under the direct or indirect control ofSpain.At the same timeOttoman control of the eastern Mediterranean and thediscoveries of sea routes to Asia around Africa and the Americas led to the decline of the Venetian Republic. While the Republic of Genoa managed to become the main banking base of the Spanish Empire.[24]
Pestilences, like that of1628/1630, and the generally declining conditions of Italy's economy in the 17th and 18th centuries halted the further development of northern Italy. The only polity that managed to thrive in this period was the Savoy's state which, thanks to military and diplomatic victories in 1720, managed to acquire the island ofSardinia, through which the then Dukes gained legitimacy as aproper Kingdom and increased Turin's importance as a European capital.
After theFrench Revolution in the late 18th century northern Italy was conquered by the French armies, many client republics were created byNapoleon and in 1805 a newKingdom of Italy, made of all of northern Italy butPiedmont that was annexed toFrance, was established with Milan as capital and Napoleon as head of state. In thecongress of Vienna, theKingdom of Sardinia was restored, and furthermore enlarged by annexing theRepublic of Genoa, contravening the principle of restoring the legitimate governments and monarchies of the old Republic.[25] The rest of northern Italy was underAustrian rule, either direct like in theLombardo-Venetian Kingdom or indirect like in the Duchies ofParma andModena.Bologna and Romagna were given to thePapal State. The Austrian imperial government was unpopular because of their anti-liberal politics and northern Italy became the intellectual centre leading theItalian unification process. Piedmont and the Kingdom of Sardinia, in particular, was the state that launched Italy's unification in 1859–1861. Afterdefeating the Austrians in 1859 and annexing northern Italy the new state proceeded to launch a campaign toconquer southern and central Italy andTurin briefly became the capital of the almostwhole of Italy.[26]
After Italian unification the capital was moved from Turin toRome and the administrative and institutional importance of northern Italy was substantially reduced. However, from the late 19th century and especially with theeconomic boom of the 1950s–1960s, northern Italy and especially the cities of Turin, Genoa, and Milan was the most important region in theItalian industrialization and sharpened its status of richest and most industrialized part of Italy.[27]
DuringWorld War IItalian andAustro-Hungarian fought in brutalMountain warfare between 1915 and 1918 on theItalian front where many large battles such as theBattles of the Isonzo and theBattle of Monte Grappa took place. Italy would be victorious overAustria-Hungary but at a high price. Between 1943 and 1945, during theSecond World War, northern Italy was part of theFascistItalian Social Republic and the main theatre of theanti-fascist partisan activity. Between April 19 and 25, 1945 the cities of northern Italy began aninsurrection against Fascist and Nazi forces that led to the liberation of northern Italy by Allied forces.Economic differences between northern Italy and the rest of the country, as well as the short history of Italy as a single nation, led in the 1990s to the emergence ofPadanian nationalism, asLega Nord promoted eithersecession or largerautonomy for Padania, the name chosen to represent northern Italy.[28][29]
Northern Italy is made of the basin of theRiver Po, which comprises the whole of the broad plain extending from the foot of theApennines to that of theAlps, together with the valleys and slopes on both sides of it, theVenetian Plain and theLigurian coast. Northern Italy has the Alps as the northern and western boundary and the Apennine Mountains as the southern one.[30] In between the two mountain ranges lies a large plain made of the Venetian Plain and thevalley of the Po, the largest river in Italy, which flows 652 km (405 miles) eastward from theCottian Alps to theAdriatic Sea and receives all the waters that flow from the Apennines northwards, and all those that descend from the Alps towards the south. The Po Valley is the largest plain in Italy and holds the vast majority of the north Italian population.
The Alps are home to some worldwide-known mountains like theMatterhorn (Cervino),Monte Rosa,Gran Paradiso in the western Alps, andBernina,Stelvio andDolomites along the eastern side of the Alps. The highest peak in Europe isMont Blanc, at 4,810 m (15,780 feet) above sea level, located at the border withFrance.[31]
With the exception of part of Liguria all of northern Italy lies in thedrainage basin of the Adriatic Sea (with rivers Po,Piave,Adige,Brenta,Tagliamento,Reno) though the waters from some border municipalities (Livigno in Lombardy,Innichen andSexten in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) drain into theBlack Sea through the basin of theDanube, and the waters from theLago di Lei in Lombardy drain into theNorth Sea through the basin of theRhine.[32]
On the foothills of the Alps, there are a number of subalpine moraine-dammed lakes, the largest of which isGarda. Other well known of these subalpine lakes areLake Maggiore, whose most northerly section is part ofSwitzerland,Como,Orta,Lugano,Iseo,Idro.
The climate of northern Italy is mainlyhumid subtropical (KöppenCfa), especially in the plains. Winter in northern Italy is normally long, relatively dry and rather cold.[34] In addition, there is a high seasonal temperature variation between summer and winter. In the mountains, the climate ishumid continental (KöppenDfb). In the valleys it is cold but usually with low humidity, while it can be severely cold above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), with copious snowfalls. The coastal areas of Liguria generally fit theMediterranean climate profile. In the Alpine foothills, characterised by anOceanic climate (KöppenCfb), numerous lakes exercise a mitigating influence, allowing the cultivation of typically Mediterranean crops (olives,citrus fruit).[33]
A peculiarity of the regional climate is the thickfog that covers the plains between October and February, especially in the central Po Plain. The east coast, particularly on theGulf of Trieste is occasionally affected by the coldbora winds in winter and spring.[35]
The coldest month is January: thePo valley's mean temperature is between −1 and 1 °C (30 and 34 °F). Winter morning lows can occasionally reach −30 to −20 °C (−22 to −4 °F) in the Alps and −14 to −8 °C (7 to 18 °F) in the Po valley, with records close to −30 °C (−22 °F) near Bologna during some of the coldest winters. Summer is usually more stable, although quite stormy near the Alps, with July temperatures in the range 22–24 °C (72–75 °F) near the Alps or by the sea, like inMilan orVenice, whereas in southern Po plain 24–25 °C (75–77 °F) can be reached, like inBologna.
The number of days with lows below 0 °C (32 °F) is usually from 60 to 90 a year, with peaks of 100–110 days in the mainly rural zones.[36] In the colder winters, theVenice Lagoon may freeze, and in the coldest ones even enough to walk on the ice sheet.[37]
Precipitation is evenly distributed during the year, more abundant in spring and autumn at low altitudes and in summer at high elevations; it is more intense in thePrealpine zone, up to 1,500 to 2,000 mm (59 to 79 inches) annually, but is abundant also in the plains and Alpine zones, with an average of 600 to 850 mm (24 to 33 inches) annually. The total annual rainfall is on average 827 mm (32.6 inches).[38] Snow is quite common between early December and early March in cities like Turin, Milan and Bologna, but sometimes it appears in late November or late March and even April. Both the Alps and the Apennine can see up to 500–1,000 cm (200–390 inches) of snow in a year at 2,000 m (6,600 feet); on thehighest peaks of the Alps, snow may fall even during mid-summer, andglaciers are present.[39]
Because of high industrialization and the lack of wind due to being closed between mountain ranges air pollution remains a severe problem in northern Italy. Even if smog levels have decreased dramatically since the 1970s and 1980s, in 2005 a team of researchers at theRoyal Netherlands Meteorological Institute reported that northern Italy was one of Europe's most polluted areas in terms ofsmog andair pollution due to its climatic and geographic conditions, which cause the stagnation of pollutants.[40]
In March 2019, theEuropean Space Agency (ESA)[41] published images took from their satellites. These images show a big stain, made of nitrogen dioxide and fine particles, situated above the Po Valley area, which incorporates the city ofMilan,Turin, andBologna. Milan and Turin share high levels ofozone andnitrogen oxides, which are mainly produced by cars diesel and petrol engines. The big stain analyzed by ESA is the main reason why Po Valley air pollution levels are so high it is considered nowadays the worst area in Europe for air quality. To shed light on how dangerous it is for humans to live in polluted environments, Chicago Energy Policy Institute[42] has recently developed the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), a system capable of analyzing air pollution worldwide. According to AQLI findings, Po Valley air pollution affects inhabitants so hard that it cuts off about half a year of their life expectancy. The main reasons why there's a big stain of air pollution over the Po Valley are strictly connected to livestock and factories. The so-called "NPK fertilizers", made of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, along with manure emissions from intensive breeding and high levels of nitrogen dioxide released by diesel and petrol engines are all accountable for this disastrous air condition in northern Italy. The region ofLombardy produces also vast amounts of animal waste, a big contributor to pollution. It delivers more than 40 per cent of Italy's milk production, for example, while over half of the Italian pig production is located in the Po Valley.[43]
According to a research, published in The Lancet Planetary Health[44] in January 2021, which estimates the death rate associated with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in 1,000 European cities,Brescia andBergamo inLombardy have the highest death rate from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Europe.Vicenza (Veneto) andSaronno (Lombardy) are respectively in fourth and eighth place in the top ten of ten cities.Turin andMilan are also at the top of the European ranking – 3rd and 5th respectively – in terms of increased mortality from nitrogen dioxide, a gas that derives mainly from traffic and in particular from diesel vehicles, whileVerona,Treviso,Padova,Como andVenice rank eleventh, fourteenth, fifteenth, seventeenth and twentythird respectively.
The data show that many cities in the Po Valley suffer the most serious impact at the European level due to poor air quality, first of all, the metropolitan area of Milan, thirteenth in the ranking in terms of fine particulate impact, where any year 3967 premature deaths – approximately 9% of the total.
| Region | Capital | Population (2025) | Area (km²) | Density (inh./km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aosta Valley | Aosta | 122,714 | 3,260.90 | 37.6 |
 Emilia-Romagna | Bologna | 4,465,678 | 22,509.67 | 198.4 |
 Friuli-Venezia Giulia | Trieste | 1,194,095 | 7,862.30 | 151.9 |
 Liguria | Genoa | 1,509,908 | 5,416.21 | 278.8 |
 Lombardy | Milan | 10,035,481 | 23,863.65 | 420.5 |
 Piedmont | Turin | 4,255,702 | 25,387.07 | 167.6 |
 Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol | Trento | 1,086,095 | 13,605.50 | 79.8 |
 Veneto | Venice | 4,851,851 | 18,407.42 | 263.6 |
Aosta Valley,Piedmont,Veneto,Trentino Alto-Adige,Liguria,Friuli-Venezia Giulia andLombardy are also known as theAlpine regions of Italy, consisting of almost all of north Italy except forEmilia-Romagna.[45][46]
Northern Italy is dominated by theGallo-Italic family of languages, as opposed to the rest of the country where theItalo-Romance languages are spoken, and they includeEmilian,Ligurian,Lombard,Piedmontese, andRomagnol.Venetian, on the other hand, has different origins. Its precise place within the Romance language family remains somewhat controversial. BothEthnologue andGlottolog group it into the Gallo-Italic branch.[47][48]Devoto, Avolio and Ursini reject such classification,[49][50][51] andTagliavini places it in theItalo-Dalmatian branch of Romance.[52]
The Gallo-Italic languages also reach the north of theMarche region incentral Italy (province of Pesaro and Urbino and the city ofSenigallia inprovince of Ancona) andTuscany (most of the province ofMassa-Carrara and the northernmost areas ofGarfagnana in the province ofLucca, but also some parts of theMetropolitan City of Florence), so these areas are considered linguistically part of northern Italy.
In southern Italy Gallo-Italic languages are spoken in somelanguage islands inBasilicata (Gallo-Italic of Basilicata) andSicily (Gallo-Italic of Sicily).[53] Other Gallo-Romance languages spoken are Occitan, Arpitan spoken in theOccitan andArpitan valleys in western Piedmont, and the Rhaeto-Romance group which includesFriulian andLadin.
Non-Romance languages are also spoken: Germanic languages such as "standard"German andBavarian inSouth Tyrol, smallWalser communities in Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, andCimbrian andmocheno in Veneto, Friuli and Trentino. Slavic languages are spoken in Friuli-Venezia Giulia: there are Slovenian minorities in the province of Trieste, in the eastern parts of those of Udine and Gorizia,[54] andIstria, where the main languages today areSlovene andCroatian but Italian is recognized as a minority language due to the presence of theIstrian Italians.
During theMiddle Ages, mainly between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, an illustrious vulgar was in use, by the name of "Lombard-Venetian koiné". In medieval sources, it was simply called "written language" or Lombard, because the toponym "Lombardy" was then used to indicate the entire region of northern Italy. This literary koiné manifested itself with authors such asBonvesin da la Riva,Giacomino da Verona,Uguccione da Lodi,Girardo Patecchio, etc.[55]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1871 | 12,380,226 | — |
| 1881 | 13,031,238 | +5.3% |
| 1901 | 14,572,366 | +11.8% |
| 1911 | 16,169,926 | +11.0% |
| 1921 | 18,311,966 | +13.2% |
| 1931 | 19,187,454 | +4.8% |
| 1936 | 19,520,279 | +1.7% |
| 1951 | 21,196,234 | +8.6% |
| 1961 | 22,686,324 | +7.0% |
| 1971 | 24,983,475 | +10.1% |
| 1981 | 25,720,477 | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 25,348,523 | −1.4% |
| 2001 | 25,593,232 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 27,215,992 | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 27,373,273 | +0.6% |
| Source:ISTAT[56][57] | ||
In 2025, the population of northern Italy amounts to 27,521,524 inhabitants is divided between:[2]
| City | Population (2025)[2] | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Milan | 1,366,155 | Lombardy |
| Turin | 856,745 | Piedmont |
| Genoa | 563,947 | Liguria |
| Bologna | 390,734 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Verona | 255,133 | Veneto |
| Venice | 249,466 | Veneto |
| Padua | 207,694 | Veneto |
| Brescia | 199,949 | Lombardy |
| Parma | 198,986 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Trieste | 198,668 | Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
| Modena | 184,739 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Reggio Emilia | 172,518 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Ravenna | 156,444 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Rimini | 150,630 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Ferrara | 129,384 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Monza | 123,131 | Lombardy |
| Bergamo | 120,580 | Lombardy |
| Trento | 118,911 | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Forlì | 117,609 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Vicenza | 110,492 | Veneto |
| Bolzano | 106,463 | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Piacenza | 103,464 | Emilia-Romagna |
| Novara | 102,573 | Piedmont |
Northern Italy is the most developed and productive area of the country, with one of the highestGDPs per capita inEurope. It was the first part of Italy to become industrialised in the second half of the 19th century; the so-calledindustrial triangle was formed by the manufacturing centres ofMilan andTurin, as well as the seaport ofGenoa.
Since then, the industrial core of the area has shifted eastward; the current industrial triangle consists ofLombardy,Veneto, andEmilia-Romagna. A similar shift happened for GDP per capita, and the eastern regions (including Lombardy) have since become wealthier thanPiedmont andLiguria. With a 2021 nominal GDP estimated at €1.0 trillion,[58] northern Italy accounts for 56% of theItalian economy, despite having just 46% of the population.[5]
The regions of northern Italy were exposed to different historical influences, which were due to the peoples and dominations that settled there, such as theLigures, theVeneti, theCelts, theEtruscans, theRomans, theByzantines, theLombards, theSpanish and theAustrians. Some of its woodlands and mountains are preserved in severalNational Parks; a major example is theGran Paradiso National Park, betweenAosta Valley andPiedmont, which is the oldest national park in Italy. The first twomost visited regions of Italy areVeneto andTrentino-Alto Adige, while the fourth and fifth areEmilia-Romagna andLombardy.[61]
Northern Italy has many major tourist attractions, many of which are protected by UNESCO. Northern Italy is the home of theItalian Riviera, includingPortofino,Sanremo, and ofCinque Terre. There are many historic cities in this part of Italy:Turin, the manufacturing capital of Italy,Milan, the business and fashion capital of the country and the important port ofGenoa are the most popular tourist destinations of the area. Other cities likeAosta,Bergamo,Brescia,Como andMantua have a rich cultural heritage, which shares the region's visitors with beautiful landscapes such as the lakesGarda (withGrottoes of Catullus andGardone Riviera),Como (withBellagio andVarenna) andMaggiore (withBorromean Islands andAngera). There are also important ski resorts likeSestriere,Courmayeur,Breuil-Cervinia,Livigno andBormio.
This part of Italy also boasts several important tourist attractions, such as the canal-filled city ofVenice, the cities ofVerona,Vicenza,Padua,Trento,Bolzano,Cremona,Bologna,Modena,Ferrara,Parma,Ravenna,Cesena,Rimini andTrieste. There are also several mountain ranges such as the Dolomites, the Carnic and Julian Alps and first-class ski resorts likeCortina d'Ampezzo and Madonna di Campiglio.
Notably, Northern Italy is considered a "butter" (burro) region, being north of the invisible "olive oil-butter divide" line. As the Alpine climate was less suitable for growingolives than Mediterranean climate, butter was the staple cooking fat in the more mountainous Northern areas, more reliant on livestock and dairy, as opposed to the olive oil used in the South.[62]
Ligurian cuisine consists of dishes from the culinary tradition ofLiguria, a region of northwesternItaly, which makes use of ingredients linked both to local production (such aspreboggion, a mixture of wild herbs), and to imports from areas with which, over the centuries, theLigurians have had frequent trade (such aspecorino sardo, one of the ingredients ofpesto).
Venetian cuisine, from the city ofVenice,[63]or more widely from the region ofVeneto, has a centuries-long history and differs significantly from other cuisines of northern Italy (notablyFriuli-Venezia Giulia andTrentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol), and of neighbouringAustria and ofSlavic countries (notablySlovenia andCroatia), despite sharing some commonalities. Cuisine in Veneto may be divided into three main categories, based on geography: the coastal areas, the plains, and the mountains. Each one (especially the plains) can have many local cuisines, each city with its own dishes.
Lombard cuisine is the style of cooking in the northern Italian region ofLombardy. The historical events of its provinces and the diversity of its territories resulted in a varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombard cuisine range fromrisottos tosoups andstuffed pasta (inbroth or not), and a large choice of second-course meat or fish dishes, due to the many lakes and rivers ofLombardy.[64] The cuisine of the various Lombardy provinces can be united by the following traits: prevalence ofrice and stuffed pasta over dry pasta, bothbutter andolive oil for cooking, dishes cooked for a long time, as well as the widespread use ofpork,milk anddairy products, andegg-based preparations; to which is added the consumption ofpolenta, common to the whole northern Italy.[65]
Emilia-Romagna is especially known for its egg and filled pasta made with soft wheat flour. TheRomagna subregion is renowned for pasta dishes likecappelletti,garganelli,strozzapreti,sfoglia lorda, andtortelli alla lastra as well as cheeses such assquacquerone,piadina snacks are also a specialty of the subregion.Bologna andModena are notable for pasta dishes liketortellini,tortelloni,lasagne,gramigna, andtagliatelle which are found also in many other parts of the region in different declinations, whileFerrara is known forcappellacci di zucca, pumpkin-filled dumplings, and Piacenza forpisarei e faśö, wheatgnocchi with beans and lard. The celebratedbalsamic vinegar is made only in the Emilian cities ofModena andReggio Emilia, following legally binding traditional procedures.[66]
TheBadalisc is amythical creature of theVal Camonica in thesouthern central Alps.[67] The Badalisc is represented today as a creature with a big head covered with agoat skin, two small horns, a huge mouth and glowing eyes. According to legend the Badalisc lives in the woods around the village ofAndrista (comune ofCevo) and is supposed to annoy the community: each year it is captured during the period ofEpiphany (5 & 6 January) and led on a rope into the village by musicians and masked characters, includingil giovane ("the young man"),il vecchio ("the old man"),la vecchia ("the old woman") and the youngsignorina, who is "bait" for the animal's lust. There are also some oldwitches, who beat drums, and bearded shepherds, and ahunchback (un torvo gobetto) who has a "rustic duel" with the animal. Traditionally only men take part, although some aredressed as women. In medieval times women were prohibited from participating in the exhibition, or even seeing or hearing the Badalisc's Speech; if they did so they would be deniedHoly Communion the following day.
Alberto da Giussano is alegendary character of the 12th century who would have participated, as a protagonist, in thebattle of Legnano on 29 May 1176.[68] In reality, according to historians, the actual military leader of theLombard League in the famous military battle withFrederick Barbarossa wasGuido da Landriano.[69] Historical analyses made over time have indeed shown that the figure of Alberto daGiussano never existed.[70] In the past, historians, attempting to find a real confirmation, hypothesized the identification of his figure withAlbertus de Carathe (Alberto daCarate) andAlbertus Longus (Alberto Longo), both among the Milanese who signed the pact inCremona in March 1167 which established the Lombard League, or in an Alberto da Giussano mentioned in an appeal of 1196 presented toPope Celestine III on the administration of thechurch-hospital of San Sempliciano. These, however, are all weak identifications, given that they lack clear and convincing historical confirmation.[68][71]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Il termine "Villanoviano" è entrato nella letteratura archeologica quando, a metà dell '800, il conte Gozzadini mise in luce le prime tombe ad incinerazione nella sua proprietà di Villanova di Castenaso, in località Caselle (BO). La cultura villanoviana coincide con il periodo più antico della civiltà etrusca, in particolare durante i secoli IX e VIII a.C. e i termini di Villanoviano I, II e III, utilizzati dagli archeologi per scandire le fasi evolutive, costituiscono partizioni convenzionali della prima età del Ferro
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
