After nine months Bonaparte gives the Venetian territories to the Austrians with the treaty of Campoformido, and it is under the Hapsburgs that historical Venet territories such as Bergamo and Brescia to the West, and Histria to the East fall under separate administrations, and have been apart from Veneto ever since. In 1806 Napoleon returns as emperor and rules for eight harduos years under which the masses are overtaxed and recluted to in the French army. Perhaps, Veneto's artistic and historic patrimony had an even worse fate as priceless masterpieces accumulated in over a millenium of continuous independence are stolen by the French.

With 1815 the Austrians return, but this time to stay for fifty years. In comparison to the Napoleonic years the Haspburgs appear as an improvement under whom the Horses of St. Mark (stolen by Napoleon) are returned to the Basilica. The Austrians intents are to govern this new province of their empire, and as evidence they left to the territory a railway system and the restructuring of Venice's State Archives, a monument of historical documents. Despite the support of mainland nobilities, the Austrian domimance was not welcomed by the masses, as a continuum of revolutionary activities testify. The "carbonari" movements were present since 1818, but it is with the revolution of 1848 that Veneto breaths one more time the air of independence. It is Daniele Manin, a lawyer of Jewish origins to lead the revolt and head the Venet Republic for its one brief year of existence. Manin's historical passions for the Serenissima were not enough to survive the Austrian siege, especially without allies in mainland Veneto. It wasn't until 1866 that the Austrians left but with no revolt nor independence for Veneto.

The Kingdom of Italy joined Prussia in a war against Austria. Although the Italians lost their two battles in Custoza and Lissa (ironically, the Italians had to fight the Venetian navy, which was part of the Austrian forces), Austrian losses to Prussia forced it to an armistice. As part of the peace treaty, Veneto was given to France on October 19th 1866, who was supposed to superseed a popular referendum to determine whether to create an independent republic or join the Italian Kingdom. It didn't. The same day, in a room of the Hotel Europa, in Venice, the French general Leboef conceded Veneto to three notaries who "deposed" it in the hands of the kings's (of Italy) commissary count Genova Thaon di Revel. Later in the year Italy held the referendum which turned "unanimously" in favor of annexation.

Soon after came the massive migrations to the Americas. The economic depression that began under Austria turned even worse in the first decades of Italian rule. Entire towns fled the misery, hunger and taxation for a better future, mostly to South America, but also to Mexico, and later to Canada and Australia. It is peculiar to find on the other side of the oceans entire town still well rooted in their Venet roots, with names such as Nova Bassano, Nova Vicenza and Nova Padua.