Padania: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Padania is the name given by the Italian Lega Nord independentist party to the part of northern Italy they want to obtain independence or autonomy. It includes the cities of Turin, Milan, and Venice, and extends southwards to the Apennine mountains. Separation of Padania as an autonomous political entity from the rest of Italy was advocated in 1996 by Umberto Bossi, a vociferous opponent of illegal (primarily African) immigration to Italy, via Sicily.

The name refers to the River Po, but the area includes places like Venice outside of its valley.