In this paper, we explore Venetian culture as a culturological foundation of Croatian culture, and how Croatian culture today, based on the shared forms of life, is more deeply rooted in Venetian culture than Italian culture is. We provide a brief overview of the history of the Republic of Venice from 697 to 1797, and the current situation in Veneto, where autonomist and separatist tendencies are gaining ground. We also explore the Venetian language and the forms of life it shares with the Dalmatian dialect of Croatia2 which at the same time are not shared by the rest of Italy. Furthermore, we discuss how Croatian literature has its roots in Venetian Dalmatian cities and argue that the influence of Venetian culture on today’s Croatian culture is greater than the influence on today’s Italian culture. This will be summed up to show the paramount importance of Venetian culture for Croatian culture and Croatian national identity, to the point of concluding that Venetian culture is not just a culture of a national minority in Croatia, but it is, par excellence, Croatian culture.