5 - Activities in the North: Genova, Monza, Torino and Venezia

Summary

Carabinieri TPC offices in the North include the Genoa, Monza, Turin and Venice nuclei. The landscape of the northern regions of Italy is immensely varied: from the Italian main plain (Pianura Padana) to the Alps; from large glacial and alpine lakes to the Adriatic Sea; and, of course, many islands. These regions offer spectacular landscapes, as well as profound geographic and historical differences. In the 14th and 15th centuries a series of important independent citystates emerged in the region, among which Genoa, Florence, Milan and Venice became the most powerful. As the city-states declined, Spanish, French and Austrian rulers began to govern the region, creating kingdoms. One kingdom, the Piemonte (Piedmont), was under the control of the Austrian monarchy for centuries. It took many hundreds of years and several wars of independence for these regions to be freed and to become part of the Kingdom of Italy, which was formally born in 1861.

The long history of foreign domination and the relatively recent unification of modern Italy mean that the region is characterised by incredible cultural diversity. Communities along the north-eastern borders can be bilingual, with residents speaking both German and Italian – a reflection of the strength of the shared heritage and traditions. It is not uncommon to travel through the Trentino-Alto Adige region near the Dolomites and realise that the population speaks mainly German rather than Italian. Such diversity leads to an incredible variety of artistic and cultural wealth, making the work of the Carabinieri TPC even harder. The offices in the North have to be prepared for cultural diversity and geographical challenges, as well as overseeing Milan and its surroundings – the largest industrially developed region of Italian territory.

The city of Milan has seen tremendous industrial growth in the last century, expanding outward and engulfing neighbouring cities such as Monza and Segrate. A portion of Segrate has been developed to meet the need for new homes, thus creating what is now known as Milano 2. The population of the Lombardy region where Milan is located reached approximately 3 million in 2012, the second most populated region in Italy, after Rome (Comuni-Italiani.it2012).