Venice votes in a consultative referendum for greater autonomy The Veneto and Lombardy regions of northern Italy will vote on Sunday 22 October in a consultative referendum on greater financial and administrative autonomy, stopping well short of a Catalan-style full independence vote. The Veneto region, which includes Venice, is one of the richest in Italy, and in 2016 Venice sent 15.5 billion euros more to Rome than it got back in public services.