AQUILEIA

AQUILEIA PALMANOVA

TORVISCOSA

THE LOCAL COUNTRYSIDE FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO 1900

We have chosen to show the changes our countryside underwent in time providing the specific examples of three villages.Along the centuries there really developed techniques and methods of peaceful integration between man and territory:The example of Aquileia dates back to Roman times. Here a rather wild and deprived territory organization was replaced by the so-called centuriazione. This was a precise territory planning devised to fulfill the economic and politic demands of the community.The example of Palmanova shows how historical and political changes can greatly affect the architectural development of a territory so that it can become a symbol of strength and power.The example of Torviscosa represents the most modern solution to the improvement of an unsuitable territory to answer the needs of civil and social life through the creation of an industrial area which can be embedded in a political project as the fascist one.

AQUILEIA’S HISTORY

Aquileia was founded as a military colony by the Romans in 181 BC as its quadrilateral shape divided by maximum “cardine” and maximum “decumano” well shows.Aquileia was morally and culturally important during the spread of Chistianity,which could develop thanks to its deacons and presbyteries (Ermacora and Fortunato, Ilario and Canziano, Crisogono were martyrs).A fortification wall unfortunately crashed and as a result Attila could enter the city and finally destroy it. (452)Its church authority and the myth of the strong city survived, although its territory was smaller than it had ever been n the past. The urban area and Grado’s harbour were still important for its economy.

In 1509 Aquileia was annexed to the Saint Roman Empire.

Aquileia depended on Habsburg.

Later it was annexed to Friuli and Italy after the First World War.

AQUILEIA’S MONUMENTS

FORO: it was the most important square of Aquileia

SEPOLCRETO: it is the only example of Roman cemetery found in Aquileia.

RIVER PORT: the Natisone river was dug and widened to have a river port to be used for a commercial aim (you could go from the sea to the city).

MAUSOLEUM: reading the epigraph, you can understand that the buried person’s name is unknown, but he was likely to have been an important magistrate.

ROMAN HOUSES: Near the Basilica, there are floors decorated by mosaics, belonging to patrician houses.

THE BASILICA: The mosaic floors survived since date back to IV century. The bell tower was probably made thanks to bricks of the amphitheatre by the famous Patriarch Popone during 1031 A.D. Its function was to be a defensive: it is 73m high.

THE NATISSA RIVER

It is the river flowing in Aquileia.

The Natissa river is born near Aquileia and Terzo d’ Aquileia, in Roncus (a small site).After flowing the inhabited centre of Aquileia, the river receives the waters of the Terzo River and ends in Grado’s lagoon. The Natissa River is navigable by a simple boat. When Aquileia was an important harbour, the river was 48m wide.

“CENTURIATIO”

ROMAN TERRITORY TRANSFORMATION

“Centuriatio” is the expression used in geometry of an excellent hydrogeological reorganizing plan. At the same time it was a means to control and distribute wealth and foundation of a new town and society.

Steps of territory organization:

1) The conquered land was divided into three parts: the first one was assigned to the natives, the second one to Roman settlers and the last one was used for Roman government’s pasture and wood.

2) The most suitable site for the foundation of the town was singled out. Land surveyors provided to trace a net of squares of 710 meters side called “centuria”, after choosing a fundamental direction axis (cardine maximum), due to the nature and structure of the land, and another axis perpendicular to the first one (decumano)

3) Each “centuria” was divided into equal land plots separated by inner borderlines (“limites intercisivi”) each called “heredium”, whose half was called “jugerum”. It was itself made of squares of 35 or 52 meters sides. Plots were assigned to the people having right to it and according to the law defined quantity. The order of assignment was established by chance. The plot given to Aquileia’s settlers was equal to 50 “jugerum” for infantry, to 100 for centuria’s leaders and to 140 for chivalry. Such quantities were superior to the ones of other colonies owing to the difficulty to find families ready to move in places that were considered dangerous.

After such logistic provision, the territory had radically changed and had been structured into regular fields, according to a square structure that influenced

road conditions, settlements and irrigation ditches.

PALMANOVA’S HISTORY

Palmanova was established on the 7th October 1593 by the Republic of Venice at the end of 500s, to defend his Eastern borderlines against the Turkish with help of the Habsburg Empire.

Palmanova was ruled by the Serenissima for over 200 years(1593-1797)

In 1757 General Bonaparte conquered Palmanova.

After Campoformido’s Treaty the fortress came to belong to the Austrian Empire (1798-1805) and, on a second moment it was part of the Italian Kingdom as a result of an Italian conquest.(1806-1814).

After Napoleone’s fall, Palmanova went back to the Habsburg Empire which owned it up to the 1866.

With the plebiscite of the 1866, Palmanova was definitely annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.

PALMANOVA’S MONUMENTS

Access to the City of Palmanova is possible through the THREE MONUMENTAL DOORS probably designed by the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi.

PIAZZA GRANDE is a perfect hexagonal space which has at its centre a basement made with Istria stone, from which a tall standard raises. It provides a testimonial of the historical events of the fortress of which it is a symbol. The main buildings overlook tthe Piazza Grande.

POLVERIERA NAPOLEONICA is a rectangular planted building, built during the Napoleonic Period. Currently it hosts various cultural activities.

L' ACQUEDOTTO is a mighty construction in white stone of Istria. It brought the civil water into the city; on the contrary military water flowed in the ditch and totally surrounded the fortress.

PALMANOVA CATHEDRAL (1615 -1636), leans out on Piazza Grande and provides an interesting example of Venetian architecture in Friuli.

TERRITORY STRUCTURE TERRITORY STRUCTURE AFTER NAPOLEON’S PERIODAFTER NAPOLEON’S PERIOD

TORVISCOSA’S HISTORY AND TERRITORY

Rome colonized the area in 181 B.C. This can be seen in several findings in the area. Meaningful examples are the signs of Via Annia which starts in Aquileia and crossing also the River Ausa, Malisana and Padua connected with Via Emilia in Bologna. During the Roman Period Torviscosa was a marshy area. There were lot of rivers and frequent floods in the nearabouts.In 1161, the name of a spot called Malisana appeared in an official document. On a second moment Torviscosa would be built in that area.

1690 : the first drainage project was carried out by Conte Antonio Savorgnan, who was the manager of part of the land reclamation on which the new Zuino area would add which would be called La Torre di Zuino.

In the first years of 1900 there were various projects concerning the territory. They were designed by architect De Min, who was supported by Mr. Marinotti.The project implied:- some territories drainage - canalization of fields- division of the grounds to be cultivated into 8 agencies- the main industrial nucleus.

WHY WAS TORVISCOSA BORN

1929 World economic crisis

Import decrease

Export impulse search of alternative resources

Lack of raw materials: production of cellulose

possible solution

You could not find that kind of wood in Italy, so SNIA (Società Navigazione Industriale Applicazioni Viscosa.) Viscosa found a way to produce cellulose from “canna gentile “ and they directed their production towards textile fibres.

Bassa Friulana was chosen exactly where the old suburb of Torre di Zuino had risen, to carry out the project. There were lots of marshy zones here and big possibilities to recruit manpower existed.

Hard economic consequences

TORVISCOSA’S DEVELOPMENT

Along the years optimization interventions were carried out

On 27 October 1937 the cellulose’s project began.

On 21 September 1938 Benito Mussolini, leader of the Italian Government, opened the plan

Torre di Zuino became a municipality and was called Torviscosa on October 26th , 1940.

1944/45 factory destruction. At the end of the war, damages were repaired and Torviscosa’s rebuilding began thanks to Mr. Marinotti’s will.

In 1950 Soda-Chlorine plant was started.

In 1961 the new thermoelettric central was built up.

In 1985 the factory became part of the SNIA BPD group and became CAFFARO S.p.A.