Farra d'Isonzo
Farra d'Isonzo: a historic and captivating place
Physical geography
Farra d'Isonzo, a small municipality located in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, hosts a large amount of vineyards, which cover its vast territory. Its agricultural landscape efficiently integrates with the urban structure of the village, characterized by numerous hamlets and the presence of the two localities of Mainizza and Villanova. The municipal territory is bordered to the east and south by the Isonzo river and is characterized by the mountain of Fortino, which reaches a height of 116 meters and is located near the hamlet of Villanova.
History
The name Farra derives from the ancient Lombard word "Fara", which indicated a fortress granted to some families with their descendants. During the period of the Roman Empire, a zone near which the Romans built an imposing bridge over the Isonzo, known as "Pons Sontii", located in Mainizza, was called "statio", in order to communicate with the lands of the east. Over the centuries, the strategic bridge was also used by the Goths, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Avars, Huns, Magyars and Turks, to invade the empire.
During the Middle Ages, the settlement focused mainly on the local castle, founded in 967, which Emperor Otto I of Saxony donated to Patriarch Rodoaldo (Patriarch of Aquileia) who, together with his successors, kept the fortress in possession of the local church until the beginning of the 13th century when it was conquered and destroyed by the counts of Gorizia. Over the centuries, the city was inherited by the Strassoldo family, who had to defend it during invasions by the Hungarians and Turks, as well as having suffered during the wars between the Republic of Venice and Austria, which sought to extend its influence over that strategic area. After the Napoleonic period, the village passed under Austrian rule and was annexed to Italy only in 1921 through Law no. 1778 after the end of World War I.
Monuments and places of interest
Religious architectures
= Church of Santa Maria Assunta =
The first Church of Santa Maria Assunta was erected in the mid-15th century, inside which are the remains of the first place of worship, of which only the polygonal apse, used as a weekday chapel, remains. The 15th-century church has a Gothic style with a central fresco depicting the Madonna with Child, supported by a ribbed vault with a keystone and rosette in which the letters "Y.X.D." are incised. During the restoration works of the 1980s, the presence of Lombard architecture remnants was found in the church, suggesting the existence of a place of worship in that area already in that era.
Farra d'Isonzo is a historic and captivating place, where ancient stories, traditions and legends can be preserved. Visiting this enchanting village is an extraordinary experience for all those who want to live a different and immersive experience inside Italian history.
