Città Fortificata di Venzone

Possibly a Roman settlement, Venzone was first recorded in a 923 document mentioning the “clausas de Abincione,” thus indicating the presence of a toll station in the village. At the beginning of the 13th century it was a fief of the Tricano (Arcano) and Mels families; at the end of the century the Patriarch granted it to Mainardo, Count of Carinthia. Passed under the jurisdiction of the Count of Gorizia, because of its strategic and commercial importance it was involved in numerous violent wars. Later granted to Albert, Duke of Austria, and his sons, it eventually returned to the Patriarch of Aquileia in 1365. Its fortifications, already very extensive, were enlarged during the Venetian domination; particularly in 1470, in anticipation of a new Turkish invasion, and in the 17th century, when a new fort was erected on Nave hill. The beautifully-preserved curtain wall encloses the Medieval town of Venzone, an extraordinary urban environment made up of beautiful houses and a magnificent Medieval cathedral.