The regions (Italian: regioni; sing. regione) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which are autonomous regions with special status. Under the Constitution of Italy, each region is an autonomous entity with defined powers. With the exception of the Aosta Valley (since 1945) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (since 2015), each region is divided into a number of provinces.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italian: [friˈuːli veˈnɛttsja ˈdʒuːlja]) is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia has a population of 1,194,095 in an area of 7,924.36 square kilometres (3,059.61 sq mi) as of 2025. A natural opening to the sea for many central European countries, the region is traversed by the major transport routes between the east and west of Southern Europe. It encompasses the historical-geographical region of Friuli and a small portion of the historical region of Venezia Giulia—also known in English as the Julian March—each with its own distinct history, traditions and identity.
The Stagnone Lagoon is a part of Mediterranean Sea in front of Marsala City (Province of Trapani, autonomous region of Sicily); the Lagoon is delimited by an island called Isola Lunga (formerly stinco di Capra) because of its geographical long form.
Inside the Lagoon there are the famous Mozia island and another small islandcalled Santa Maria.