Northern Italy

Northern Italy (in Italian "Italia Settentrionale") is considered the most developed and productive area of Italy. About 46% of all Italians live in Northern Italy and the North accounts for 54.8% of the Italian economy (GDP). This region is thus the richest area of Italy. The industrial triangle is formed by the cities of Milan in Lombardy (with almost 1,4 million inhabitants and 3,25 million in the metropolitan city), Turin in Piedmont (with a population of 890.000 in the city and 2,26 million in the metropolitan city) and Genoa in Liguria (with a total population of 585.000). Other smaller cities are Venice with 260.000 inhabitants, Verona with 258.000 inhabitants and Padua with a population of 210.000 and Trieste 204.000. The North is often divided into North-West Italy and North-East Italy.

Northern Italy is an area with a very low seismic hazard, except for the extreme northeast of the region.

North-West Italy: Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy

Aosta Valley - Valle d'Aosta

The Aosta Valley is a small autonomous region in the northwest of Italy, bordered by France and Switzerland.  It is a mountainous area with Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. In the summer you can go hiking and in the winter skiing or snowboarding. The Aosta Valley is the smallest (3.266 km²), least populous (125.000 inhabitants) and least densely populated region of Italy (38 inh./per m²). 
Airport(s): Aosta, but there are very few flights. The nearest airport is Turin.

Piedmont - Piemonte

Piedmont is a flat plain surrounded by the Alps. In the Alps you can go skiing and hiking. Piedmont is Italy’s second largest region (25.398 km²). It is one of the most famous wine regions, just think of the Barolo, Barbera and Barbaresco wines and sparkling Spumante from Asti. The capital of Piedmont is Turin, the cradle of the Italian car manufacturer Fiat. The metropolitan city of Turin has about 2,26 million inhabitants. 

Turin and the Alps

Piedmont attracts lots of tourists because of its many (over 50) ski resorts. The west side of the Lake Maggiore area is very popular among tourists in the summer.
The most famous culinary specialty is Bagna Càuda, a wintery, hot dipping sauce for vegetables.  
The area surrounding Alba has attracted lots of foreign second home buyers in the last few years. The recognition by the Unesco in 2014 of the vineyards of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato as World Heritage site has played its part in this interest from abroad.
Airport:Turin

Liguria

Liguria is a coastal region known for its rocky coast. The region has a series of famous places such as San Remo, Rapallo, Savona and Alessio and tourist attractions like Portofino, Cinque Terre and Porto Venere. The capital of this region is Genoa, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. Liguria has two ports, Genoa which is the second most important commercial port in Italy and also La Spezia has a trade port which is important for this region.

pesto

Who doesn’t know the world famous Pesto alla Genovese, basil sauce. The Ligurian cuisine has a very long list of local culinary specialties. Thanks to its position by the sea, fish is an important ingredient in the local dishes. Risotto with seafood is a dish that you will find in many restaurants. Another well known dish is farinata di ceci, which looks like a salted pancake made with chickpeas flour. Wine is produced only on a small scale and almost exclusively for local consumption.
Airport: Genoa

Lombardy - Lombardia

Lombardy is located in the far north of Italy and is the richest and most densely populated region of Italy. The regional capital is Milan, known for its nightlife and internationally recognised as one of the world’s most important fashion capitals. The metropolitan city of Milan has about 3,2 million inhabitants. Lombardy is the most populous (10,06 million inhabitants) and second most densely populated (400 inh./km²) region of Italy.

Lake Como, Tremezzo

Polenta, a traditional dish, made of boiled cornmeal, is considered to be a typical dish of Lombardy. Also bresaola, Milan sausage, Grana Padano cheese and Gorgonzola cheese are all products from this region. 
The famous Italian lakes are all located in Lombardy: Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda. We all know that these lakes attract lots of foreign tourists and property buyers. 
Airports: Milan (Linate and Malpensa), Bergamo and Brescia

North-East Italy: Trentino-South Tyrol, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna

Trentino-South Tyrol - Trentino-Alto Adige

In Trentino-South Tyrol there are two autonomous provinces, in the south the province of Trento (Trentino), and in the north Bolzano (South Tyrol) which is a bilingual province, where the majority of the population speak German. The province of South Tyrol became part of Italy in 1919.

The region covers a large part of Italy’s major mountain ranges, the Dolomites and the Alps, and is ideal for active holidays. You can go skiing and snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking.

Canederli with speck

South Tyrolean cuisine is a combination of the Austrian and Italian kitchen. You will find strudel, canederli and the most famous local product speck. The region is the largest fruit growing area in Europe. There is a huge production of apples but also grapes (Lagrein, Pinot bianco, Gewürztraminer) for regional wines and grappa.
In touristic areas in the province of Bolzano, new home constructions are entirely reserved for residents.
Airport(s): none. To the south, the nearest airport is Verona, to the north, Innsbruck in Austria.

Veneto

Veneto, with nearly 5 million inhabitants, is one of the richest and most developed regions. Its capital is Venice, a real tourist attraction. Tourism is therefore the most important factor in this region, agriculture the second. In Verona you can see the balcony of Romeo and Juliet, and the Arena; in Padova one of the largest squares of Europe, Prato della Valle. 

vongole veraci

The Veneto region has great wines like Valpolicella and Prosecco. Some of the products that are originally from this region are: pandoro, tiramisu, spritz and Asiago cheese from the eponymous town. Veneto also holds the entire Italian production of vongole veraci, or clams, about 30.000 tonnes per year.
Airports: Verona, Venice and Treviso

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

The region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is located in the far east of northern Italy. This small autonomous region borders Austria and Slovenia and has about 1,2 million inhabitants. The port of Trieste is the main commercial port of Italy. The region is small, and yet you will find both the sea and the mountains there. You can enjoy many outdoor activities and winter sports. The capital city Trieste and the Miramare Castle, and the historical centres of Gorizia and Pordenone, are worth a visit. 

San Daniele ham

The San Daniele ham originates from this region. The local cuisine doesn't have dishes which are well known outside the region. In the city of Trieste many restaurants propose goulash. 
Many areas of this region have a relatively high seismic risk. 
Airport: Trieste, which offers only few connections with European airports. Treviso is the nearest airport outside the region.

Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest regions of Italy with famous cities like Bologna, Ferrara and Modena, and a beautiful coastline. Italian sports cars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, De Tomaso and Ducati motorcycles are all manufactured in this region. The coastal towns of Rimini and Riccione attract millions of tourists every year. In Rimini there are over 1.000 hotels. 

Maserati

The best known regional specialties are Parma ham, mortadella, Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and Lambrusco wine. Emilia-Romagna is also known for its pastas: tagliatelle, tortellini, lasagne.
In the south of the region there is a moderate risk of earthquakes.
Airports: Forlì, Bologna and Rimini

More numbers about Northern Italy (provinces, population, surface, population density)

North-West Italy

North-West Italy (data: 01/01/2019; source: Istat)

North-East Italy

North-West Italy (data: 01/01/2019; source: Istat)

Read more about the other parts of Italy: Central Italy, Southern Italy, the Islands.