Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the context of "Maritime Venice"

Northern Italy (Italian: Italia Settentrionale, Nord Italia, Alta Italia) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four northwestern regions of Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Liguria and Lombardy in addition to the four northeastern regions of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Emilia-Romagna.

With a population of 27.5 million in an area of 120,312.72 km (46,453.00 sq mi) as of 2025, the region covers roughly 40% of Italy and contains 46% of its population. Two of Italy's largest metropolitan areas, Milan and Turin, are located in the region. Northern Italy's GDP was estimated at €1 trillion in 2021, accounting for 56.5% of the Italian economy.

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.

Northeast Italy (Italian: Italia nord-orientale or just Nord-est) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency. Northeast encompasses four of the country's 20 regions:

• Emilia-Romagna
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
• Veneto

The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle d'Aosta [ˈvalle daˈɔsta]; French: Vallée d'Aoste [vale dɔst] ; Arpitan: Val d'Aoûta [val duta] ; Walser: Augschtalann or Ougstalland; Piedmontese: Val d'Osta), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, to the west; by Valais, Switzerland, to the north; and by Piedmont, Italy, to the south and east. The regional capital is Aosta.

Covering an area of 3,263 km (1,260 sq mi) and with 122,714 inhabitants as of 2025, it is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy. The province of Aosta having been dissolved in 1945, the Aosta Valley region was the first region of Italy to abolish provincial subdivisions, followed by Friuli-Venezia Giulia in 2017 (where they were reestablished later). Provincial administrative functions are provided by the regional government. The region is divided into 74 comuni (French: communes).

Trieste (/triˈɛst/ tree-EST, Italian: [triˈɛste] ; see more) is a city and seaport in northeast Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the regional decentralization entity of Trieste. As of 2025, it has a population of 198,668.

Trieste is located at the head of the Gulf of Trieste, on a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia; Slovenia lies close, at approximately 8 km (5 mi) east and 10–15 km (6–9 mi) southeast of the city, while Croatia is about 30 km (19 mi) to the south of the city. The city has a long coastline and is surrounded by grassland, forest, and karstic areas.

Friuli (Italian: [friˈuːli]; Friulian: Friûl [fɾiˈuːl] ; Venetian: Friul or Friułi; Slovene: Furlanija; Austrian German: Friaul) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the administrative provinces of Udine, Pordenone, and Gorizia, excluding Trieste.

The Kingdom of Italy (Italian: Regno d'Italia; French: Royaume d'Italie) was a kingdom in Northern Italy (formerly the Italian Republic) that was a client state of Napoleon's French Empire. It was fully influenced by revolutionary France and ended with Napoleon's defeat and fall. Its government was assumed by Napoleon as King of Italy and the viceroyalty delegated to his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais. It covered some of Piedmont and the modern regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino, South Tyrol, and Marche. Napoleon I also ruled the rest of northern and central Italy in the form of Nice, Aosta, Piedmont, Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, but directly as part of the French Empire (as departments), rather than as part of a vassal state.

At its peak, the kingdom covered 84,000 square kilometers and had a population of 6.5 million.