Altino
Quarto d'Altino: an area with environmental and landscape constraints
Hello friends, today I'm talking to you about Quarto d'Altino, an Italian municipality located in the metropolitan city of Venice, in Veneto. The territory is crossed by the river Sile, which splits at Portegrandi. Here we find a lock that connects the short branch of the river to the Venetian lagoon, while the main branch continues its course towards Jesolo. The area, which was once predominantly marshy, was reclaimed starting from the fifteenth century.
Today, 70% of the municipal territory is subject to constraint, meaning that urban development is highly controlled. Quarto d'Altino boasts the presence of some sites of environmental, landscape, and historical interest, such as the archaeological area of Altinum, the Regional Nature Park of the River Sile, the Trepalade Nature Reserve, and the Venetian Lagoon. It can be said that the presence of these environmental and landscape constraints makes the territory of Quarto d'Altino a protected area of great natural and cultural value.
The historic city of Altinum
The history of the municipality of Quarto d'Altino is closely linked to the city of Altinum, an ancient Paleo-venetian settlement and then a Roman municipium. This area was crossed by an important Roman road, the "via Gallica". Quarto d'Altino, in particular, was located four Roman miles from Altinum, from which its name derives in Latin ("Ad Quartum"). In the past, Altinum was a notable commercial port on the shores of the Venetian Lagoon, but it declined due to the destruction by barbarians and the marshland of the area. The population moved to the estuary area, founding a first embryo of the future Venice and other important settlements such as Torcello, Murano, and Burano.
What remained of Altinum was used as a quarry to recover materials from the ancient ruins.
San Michele del Quarto: an area that underwent reclamation by the Serenissima
The small village of San Michele del Quarto developed in the western part of the territory of Quarto d'Altino during the Lombard period. The village had a chapel dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, and the name "del Quarto" was added because the village was four Roman miles from the city of Altinum. San Michele del Quarto depended on the diocese of Torcello from 1177.
The eastern part of the territory remained marshy until the fifteenth century when the Serenissima began a massive reclamation and repopulation project, which lasted until the beginning of the twentieth century. The fall of Venice in 1797 led to the establishment of the municipalities of San Michele del Quarto and Trepalade, with the latter being absorbed by the former with the establishment of the Lombardo-Veneto Kingdom.
Conclusions
In summary, Quarto d'Altino is an important Italian municipality with an ancient history, and its presence is also responsible for the origin of parts of the future Venice. Today, the territory is subject to environmental and landscape constraints essential to preserve the area and make it one of the most important cultural and naturalistic places in Veneto.
