Catholic Church is always the biggest issue with Italian unification until the later 1800s. Let’s say technology and progress follow similar paths and trends as otl. Milan or Venice unite all of Italy north of the Papal State during the medieval or renaissance era. If it is Venice colonies are likely and I think industrialization is more likely. The trade and merchant nature of the country I think makes Venice likely to follow a mix of Belgium and British industrialization. They could honestly be one of the first to industrialize if Venice stays strong and maintain republic values. Venice between the 1200s to 1700s centuries allies with Spain and Britain as protection against France. During this era Venice supports Spanish influence over Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica in exchange for their support. Venice unites all of Northern Italy and even expands into France when they are weak or distracted in other conflicts. It’s western border is the Rhône River. It also expands into Switzerland eventually taking it all hoping the mountains will create more defensible borders. This will provide them coal later in the 1800s. Venice expansion East is similar but even more successful. Venice out west have Trentino, Istria, and Dalmatia. They mostly try to create defensible borders against Austria and deny them any major access or land connecting them with the Mediterranean. Venice builds a strong navy which is one of its keys to power. It’s navy helps expand the republic into ottomans lands and beyond. Venice takes Albania, Ionia Islands, Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus, and Peloponnese. They ally the Romanians who becomes their biggest ally in the Balkans. In Africa they take Tunis and Libya in a similar way to how France took Algeria. In the rest of the world Venice focuses on settler colonies, trade vital holdings, and small valuable colonies or trade ports. In the Americas Venice colonize all of Guiana, Venezuela, Florida, Haiti, Panama, Belize, mosquito coast, Jamaica, and Bahamas. Slavery is big and profitable in these colonies but not as strict or harsh as other colonial powers. Slavery in Venice tries to follow more classical Roman style slavery and not make colonies dependent on it. Venice also colonize Argentina and southern Chile. In Sub Saharan Africa and Asia Venice sets up trade ports. They have some in west Africa and one in Congo but most are in the Horn of Africa or Kenya and Tanzania. They also set up in Yemen and one in India. Their other one is in China and a few in Indonesia.
By the 1800s something like the French Revolution and Concert of Europe happens. Venice comes out of this similar to otl Prussia. With Spain weakening and falling apart Venice starts to expand influence into Naples, Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. Venice quickly gains Corsica and Sardinia early in 1800s. They also gain Malta. They help revolutionaries in the Balkans and Greece to help drive out the ottomans. Venice gains Constantinople in this. Venice would have a other war with the ottomans during the oriental crisis which ends with Egypt free but under Venice influence and the ottomans are broken up. This expansion and actions makes there relationship with Britain become more strained so they drift towards Prussia as an ally who share common enemies with Venice(France and Austria). When the Venetian Republic annexes independent Sicily Naples declares war with the backing of the Papal State and France in the mid 1800s. Venice calls in Prussia who help defeat them. Venice unites Italy into the Italian Federation. After this Italy starts expanding its African ports and coastal settlements into large colonies. This includes Libya, Tunis, Kenya, Tanzania, Horn of Africa, Congo, and a few other small colonies in west Africa. They also incorporate Egypt plus its Middle East holding. Would this be good enough for this pod?