Cervignano del Friuli

Located along the main railroad line between Venice and eastern Europe, Cervignano is one of the major commercial centers of lower Friuli. The Trieste airport is actually located in nearby Ronchi. Bus connections transport the visitor to Grado through Aquileia.

Objects have been found dating back to the iron age. Attila and his Huns blazed through the area in 452. During excavations for a military barracks in World War I, soldiers discovered a Lombard mosaic pavement dating from the seventh or eighth century.

One of the earliest historical references to the city involves a donation to the Monastery of Michael the Archangel in 762. The earliest mention of the town name is a document dated 912.

Prior to World War I Cervignano was under control of the Austrians, providing the northern-most port along the Adriatic Sea by way of the Ausa River. Some of the earliest shots of this conflict were fired in this area, and bomb shelters from both major wars still dot the streets and alleys. Markers indicate the locations of unexploded shells.

Local sites include the small church building of Jerome (16th century) and the Villa Bresciani, home of nobles who moved to Cervignano during the same period. The chapel on the grounds was constructed in 1692. The metal bridge over the Ausa still bears the mark of an artillery shell from the first World War.

Poppies mark the wheat fields in the spring.