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First of all, I don't condone separatism (especially violent) and abhor xenophobia. This is just a thought exercise.

Since the 80s in Northern Italy an independentist party developed and reached substantial popular support by using a fierce rethoric against "robber Rome" and immigrants from the south of Italy before, and now from eastern Europe and Africa. This party is the Northern League, created and led by Umberto Bossi.
One of the central points of the platform of the Northern League is independence, or at least significant autonomy for "Padania", which is to say the Northern part of Italy, more or less the Alps and Po valley up to the Northern edge of the Apennines. (But their territorial rivendications have always been less than clear).

The early nineties were a difficult time for Italy, with corruption scandals destroying almost all the historical governing parties (Christian Democracy, Republican, Liberal, Social-Democratic and Socialist), the Mafia basically declaring war to the state by killing high ranking judges and prosecutors wnd organising terror bombings as north as Florence and a difficult economical situation, with the risk, at least perceived, of not entering in the ECU/Euro system.

Those were also the times of the most virulent separatist rethoric by the Northern League, so do you think it possible that they would go for real independence of the Northern, and richer, regions of Italy? Could the movement turn violent, maybe causing a civil war? Don't forget that the Jugoslavian mess is just behind the corner.

A shooting war is probably stretching things, but I wouldn't discount it totally as ASB, as secession is actually on the statute of the Lega Nord, and Italy would never accept it.
Edit: today they have largely abandoned separatism, in favour of Euroscepticism and rethorics similar to that of Marine Le Pen in France, but I am referring to the Northern League of the early nineties, not the Northern League of today, after years in the government along with Berlusconi etc.
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