Venice may have been part of Italy for almost a century and a half, but many of its citizens are hankering for a return to the glory days of an empire that lasted for 1,100 years.
More than half a million people have already voted in a referendum to make the city an independent republic once again and organisers are confident of support for a split from mainland Italy.
The internet poll asks if Venice and its surrounding region should “become an independent and sovereign federal republic.” Voting runs until Friday.
Supporters of independence say that the hard-working north is being stifled by a corrupt bureaucracy in Rome, while northern taxpayers are exploited by a lazy and parasitic south.
“The results so far are absolutely