Three regions in the North yes, the rest of Italy brakes: the geography of a referendum that has divided the country

Among all emerges a striking fact: 75.4% of Neapolitans voted "No" in the referendum, a figure that alone reflects the emotional climate of a national consultation marked by strong territorial claims. The vote on March 22 and 23 indeed delivers a deeply divided country, a mosaic of contrasts that challenges both national politics and local administrations.

The map of the results highlights, first and foremost, a fracture on a macro-regional scale. The "Yes" front prevailed in only three regions, all in the north: Veneto (58.4%), Lombardy (53.5%), and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (54.4%). Yet, from these same areas emerges a significant political fact: an internal dichotomy almost laboratory-like, with a clear divide between the major cities and the rest of the territory.

Even within this “trident” of the "Yes", the capitals often rowed in the opposite direction. In Veneto, the "No" prevailed in five out of seven capitals, reaching 55.1% in the metropolitan city of Venice. A similar dynamic occurred in Lombardy, where Milano and its province led the opposing front, and in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with Trieste and Gorizia aligned for the "No".

Moving down the peninsula, the "No" is predominant in most regions, outlining an urban counterpoint to the favor expressed by the productive areas of the northern province. In Emilia-Romagna, which recorded the highest participation in Italy (66.6%), the opponents won with 57.2%, boosted by 68.1% in Bologna. The only exception is Piacenza: it is the only Emilian capital where the "Yes" prevailed with 51.2%.

In the Center, Lazio saw the "No" affirmed at 54.5%, with Rome at 60%; in Liguria, the rejection of the reform stood at 57%, reaching 64% in Genoa.

However, it is in the South and the Islands that the wave of "No" has appeared overwhelming, although with significantly lower turnout. In Campania, with participation at 50.3%, the regional "No" reached 65.2%. The absolute record of Naples, a city with over 900,000 residents, represents a politically powerful signal: it erupted in the heart of one of the most populous metropolitan areas in Europe, dismantling the temptation to reduce the outcome to low turnout, as participation in Naples was in line with or above the southern average. The "No" also dominated in Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia: over 60% in the metropolitan area of Bari and in Palermo (68.9%), and 61.2% in Cagliari. Sicily holds the “black jersey” for participation, which has plummeted to 46.1%.

Indeed, turnout is the other major theme of the vote. The gap of over twenty points between the peaks of Emilia-Romagna (66.6%), Tuscany (66.2%), and Umbria (65%) and the last-place Sicilian turnout reveals a deeply unequal participation.

Yet the common thread running through this turned-around Italy is one: the consolidation of the rejection of the reform in large urban centers, typically characterized by younger and more educated populations. These discrepancies expose complex local dynamics, debunking the cliché of the “productive North pro-reform” contrasted with the “refractory South”, and bring to the forefront deeper variables: administrative efficiency, the weight of public services, and the social composition of the territories.