Calls for the vote come in response to the negative consequences of mass tourism on locals in the lagoon city.
Last Wednesday, President of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia announced that the vote was legitimate and could go ahead in two months, even though he did not have the support of Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who urged all residents not to take part in “yet another referendum on separation”.
There have been previous calls in recent years for Venice to separate itself from Italy altogether and become its own independent country, but this referendum call is more practical.
While tourism in Venice’s historic centre has ballooned to the current 20 million annual visitors it receives today, its other six boroughs on the mainland are largely post-industrial, overpopulated areas that receive little attention and investment by comparison.
Supporters of the referendum claim that having two separate municipalities would allow each part of Venice to address its own set of problems more effectively.
