Mereto di Tomba
Welcome to Mereto di Tomba!
Hello everyone and welcome to Mereto di Tomba, a small town in the central Friulian high plateau! Here, I will present the history of our beautiful town.
Origin of the Name
Mereto di Tomba is made up of five villages: Plasencis, Savalons, San Marco, Tomba, and Pantianicco, along with the main town, Mereto. Mereto, a shortened form of Melereto or Melareto, means "place where apples are grown," as described in historical documents starting from the late 15th century. Later, the name of the municipality was changed to Mereti tumbae, after an ancient tomb from the time of the castellieri was discovered in the area.
History of the Town
The settlement of the main town, originally built on a castelliere, was inhabited by groups of Roman legionaries and colonists who dedicated themselves mainly to agricultural activities. In fact, in 2006, a Roman necropolis was discovered along the Concordia-Noricum road that extended from Concordia Sagittaria to Artegna. This road gave travelers the opportunity to shorten the road to Noricum otherwise reachable by passing first on the Via Annia and then on the Via Julia Augusta. It is still possible to retrace some stretches of the Concordia-Noricum that runs parallel to the Tombare and borders another Roman funerary area, located centrally in the municipal territory and subsequent to the first as a historical period, called Baraciuts and of considerable importance.
The first written reference to Mereto dates back to 1138, while the first mention of Pantianicco dates back to 963. Subsequently, the Mereto area underwent barbarian invasions and then enjoyed a period of peace under the Patriarchate of Aquileia.
Fortifications and Administration of the Town
In those years, like many other towns in the Friulian lowlands, Mereto was also equipped with the so-called "curtain walls" that acted as fortresses in case of danger. For the administration of justice and jurisdictional issues, Mereto was a fiefdom of Valvasone, but remained autonomous for other issues resolved by the heads of households within the vicinia (council of heads of households). In 1420, Mereto was ceded to the Republic of Venice and in 1499, the Friulian territory suffered a Turkish raid.
Modern Era
In June 1815, the territory became part of the Lombardo-Veneto Kingdom, a state dependent on the Austrian Empire, and the villages that had their own administration lost their autonomy in 1816.
Curiosity
Finally, I have one last curiosity to share with you: in 2008, researchers from the University of Udine discovered, under the mound known as Tùmbare, the entire skeleton of an important personality who lived at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. This discovery has further enriched the history of Mereto and its ancient roots.
I hope this brief journey into the history of Mereto di Tomba has piqued your curiosity and made you want to visit our beautiful town. We are waiting for you!
