For centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire, what we now call "Italy" was in fact a collection of city-states. Perhaps it is headed back in that direction.
Independence activists in Veneto, the Italian region where Venice is located, last week held an online poll gauging public support for a referendum on separation from Italy. Agence France-Presse reports for Yahoo News that 89% voted "yes."
The next step will be a formal referendum limited to registered voters. Italy's national government is normally so fractured it is difficult to predict how it will react.
It is also likely that these poll results will embolden the Northern League to step up separatist activities in Florence, Milan, Genoa, Bologna, Modena and Turin. Northern Italy is truly tired of "carrying" the perpetually poor region south of Naples via income transfers.
