Tarcento ( fur, Tarcint, sl, Čenta) is a small city, having become a city officially when the church was given back its rank of Duomo, cathedral, and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the province of Udine, in the

Friuli Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...

region of north-eastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

History

Tarcento occupies a strategic location at a bridging point on the River Torre. Archaeological finds indicate a very early date for its first human occupation. Tarcento first appears in the historical record around the year 1126 CE, when an Austrian nobleman, Machland, from

Perg Perg is a city in the Austrian state of Upper Austria, capital of the district of the same name. History Originally in the eastern part of the Duchy of Bavaria, Perg belonged to Austria from the 12th century on. In 1269 it received commercial p ...

, was feudal overlord of the castle around which the town had developed. Subsequently, a second castle was built on the hill of Coia. In 1219 the Caporiacco family took over as feudal overlords. Both castles were badly damaged during wars for control of the area between the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

in the Middle Ages, and in 1420 CE Tarcento became part of the territory controlled by the Venetian Republic. The main castle was burnt down in a peasant's uprising and then damaged by a serious earthquake, both in 1511 CE. Nothing remains of that castle today. A corner of the tower of the castle on the hill of Coia can still be seen. Following the Napoleonic conquest of the Venetian Republic in 1797, Tarcento came under Austrian Rule. In 1866 Tarcento became part of the Kingdom of Italy. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Tarcento was close to the front line on the eastern front. After the Italian rout at the

Battle of Caporetto The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central ...

in 1917, Tarcento was occupied by the Austrians until the end of the war. A catastrophic earthquake in 1976 caused a great deal of damage in the town and its surroundings, all of which has subsequently been repaired.

Twin towns – sister cities

Tarcento is twinned with: *

Arnoldstein Arnoldstein ( sl, Podklošter, it, Oristagno) is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Geography Location Arnoldstein is located at Austria's southern border between the Carnic Alps and the Karawan ...

, Austria *

Bovec Bovec ( or ; , german: Flitsch, fur, Plèz) is a town in the Littoral region in northwestern Slovenia, close to the border with Italy. It is the central settlement of the Municipality of Bovec. Geography Bovec is located from the capital Ljubl ...

, Slovenia *

Unterföhring Unterföhring is a municipality in Upper Bavaria. It lies adjacent to the northeast side of Munich, and is one of the nearest suburbs to Munich's central district. History Before the establishment of Munich around 1158, an important crossing ex ...

, Germany

Main sights

*''Palazzo dei Frangipane'' (18th century), with an octagonal

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

. *The Parish church of St. Peter (12th century), with a rich Baroque high altar. *''Villa De Rubeis'', built in the 17th century over a pre-existing 12th century structure. It has noteworthy paintings, doors with painted mirrors and a notable central hall. *'' Arboreto Pascul'', an arboretum. *''Cjscjelat'', the ruined castle tower on Coia where, each 6 January, the "pignarul grant" takes place, an ancient bonfire ceremony believed to have Celtic origins. *''Villa Moretti'' (19th century) a house formerly owned by the Moretti brewing family, and now an arts centre, situated on the hill of Coia.

People

* Giovanni Antonio Agostini, painter * Giancarlo Cruder, (1947), politician * Gian Giuseppe Liruti, (1689-1780), literary man, numismatic * Ella von Schultz-Adaïewsky, (1846-1926), musicologist and pianist * Giovanni Marinelli, (1846-1900), geographer; he was 4 times a Member of Parliament of Gemona-Tarcento *

Angelo Angeli Angelo Angeli (20 August 1864 – 31 May 1931) was an Italian chemist. Angeli's salt and the Angeli–Rimini reaction are named after him. Scientific career Angeli studied in Padua, where he met the chemist Giacomo Luigi Ciamician. When ...

, (1864-1931), chemist * Arturo Malignani, (1865-1939), inventor - from 1898 to 1900 he built the Crosis dam, with its splendid waterfall, and the Ciseriis power plant * Olinto Marinelli, (1876-1926), geographer * Chino Ermacora, (1894-1957), writer * Aldo Moretti, (1909-2002), presbyter and partisan,

Gold Medal of Military Valour The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The fac ...

* Anzil Toffolo, (1911-2000), painter * Vittorio Gritti, founder of the Gruppo Folkloristico "Chino Ermacora", creator of the Festival of Hearts and Prize Epifania * Luciano Ceschia, (1925-1991), sculptor, painter * Albino Lucatello, (1927-1984), painter * Bruna Sibille Sizia, journalist, writer *

Claudio Giorgi Claudio Giorgi (born in 1944) is an Italian actor and film director, active between the 1970s and the early 1980s. Life and career Born Claudio Giorgiutti in Tarcento, Udine, Giorgi was mainly active as a main actor in fotoromanzi, while he oc ...

, (1944), actor, cinematographic director * Toni Zanussi, (1952), painter * Luigi Miconi, soccer player, coach * Elena Aganoor, (1852–1912), poet

References

* ''L'Italia da scoprire'', vol. 1. Giorgio Mondadori, 2004 {{FriuliVeneziaGiulia-geo-stub