Northeast Italy (Italian: Italia nord-orientale or just Nordest) is an informal cultural and geographic region of Italy and subregion of northern Italy. It is generally considered to be comprised of three Italian regions: Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Some author include in Northeast Italy also the region of Emilia-Romagna; but this region is sometime neither considered part of Northern Italy but of Central Italy. For geography, history, ethnical ties and culture, another region of Northeast Italy may be considered Istria. Italian is the main language of the area: but, it is often used only with strangers or in the main cities or for cultural reasons, because the most part of the inhabitants speaks their own national language; so we have Venetian language widely spoken in Veneto and on the coast to Trieste and Istria, but recognised just by region Veneto; Friulano in the most part of Friuli, it is officially recognised by the Italian state; as for German, the first language of Alto-Adige/Südtirol, where Italian is spoken just by less than a third of the inhabitants; as Ladin, spoken by a few thousands people in the Dolomites; then Slovenian, spoken (and recognised by Italy) on the border of Italy and in Istria; where main language is Croat, but Italian is recognised as a minority language. The terms Tre Venezie or Triveneto (literally "Triple Veneto"), refers to the three regions of Veneto (before 1947 Venezia Euganea, united to Friuli) Trentino-South Tyrol (once Venezia Tridentina) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Venetia, a region which indicated the old land provinces of Venice Republic from river Adda to river Isonzo, and that is sometime used still today to indicate this territory together with Trentino and Trieste. Venetia et Histria, an old region of Italy at the time of Roman Empire, refers to Veneto, Trentino, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, East Lombardy and Istria; it was named after the people of Veneti, who inhabited that region, and who are still largely the main ethnical group of the Italian area (other main ethnical groups include Friulani in the east, mostly in Udine province; Ladini in the Dolomites, between Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige; German-Tyrolese in Alto Adige/Südtirol; and Slovene minorities on the border with Slovenia and in the city of Trieste); while after 1947 Venetian/Italian people are just a minority in Slovene and Croatian Istria.
