Santa Maria la Longa: Culture and History

Santa Maria la Longa offers a cultural and historical perspective on the area: archaeological traces, churches, villas and memorials each offer a different focus. There are also waterways and routes that may be useful when planning your trip. If you are interested in local history and architecture, you will find specific points of interest here, from Roman times to more recent art.

Roman Traces and Memorials

Archaeological finds provide evidence of settlements from Roman times, distributed evenly across the area of Santa Maria la Longa. The historical picture therefore extends beyond individual buildings: the finds point to a settlement whose traces lie at various locations throughout the area.

A monument to Giuseppe Ungaretti stands in the central Piazza Divisione Julia. Beside the monument are three karst stones engraved with the poet’s poems. Another historical marker is located in the center: the pillory column is considered the last surviving example of its kind in the Friulian lowlands. The monument, inscribed stones and column each offer a distinct focus, allowing literary commemoration and historical local landmarks to be viewed as different aspects of the town’s history.

Churches and Art in the Districts

Santo Stefano Udinese is home to a Neo-Gothic parish church, built between 1873 and 1878 to a design by Girolamo d’Aronco. The church also contains a painting by Giuseppe Barazzutti from 1937 depicting the martyrdom of Saint Stephen. The construction period and the date of the painting belong to clearly distinct eras. Also in Santo Stefano Udinese, the church of San Giuseppe preserves 17th-century frescoes depicting the Pietà and Saint Valentine.

In Mereto di Capitolo, the church of San Pietro is worth seeing as an architectural feature in its own right. Its façade has a bell gable; beside the side door is a small porch with frescoes from the early 16th century. These details relate to different parts of the building: the top of the façade, the side entrance and the wall paintings preserved there.

Villas and Historic Buildings

Villa Bearzi, a 17th-century building, is located near the parish church of Santa Maria la Longa. Casa Plateo preserves a plaque from 1739 dedicated to Count Zuanne Rados, a commander of the Serenissima. The Canonica, a 16th-century building, contains a religious fresco depicting the Nativity. These examples offer different points of focus: the architectural history of the villa and the Canonica, and a dated dedication at Casa Plateo.

Villa Vintani, now Villa Zamaro, was the summer residence of the Patriarchs of Aquileia in the 16th century. Two details help identify the building: its current name, Villa Zamaro, and its historical name, Villa Vintani. Its former use places the villa in a particular historical period and distinguishes it from the other historic buildings in the area.

Landscape, Waterways and Routes

Most of the area around Santa Maria la Longa is used for agriculture. The Roggia di Palma, a waterway dating from the 17th century, runs through it. Waterways branching off from the Canale Ledra are also part of the area’s history; they date from the second half of the 19th century. The timeline distinguishes two phases of development: the 17th-century Roggia di Palma and the waterways branching off from the canal in the second half of the 19th century.

The Anello delle ville friulane (R038) circular route is listed as starting at the Santa Maria la Longa municipal offices. The Udine–Grado bus route is listed as a connection for the circular route; bicycles are not carried on this bus. If you plan to take the bus, check the transport arrangements before travelling. The Ciclovia Alpe Adria first crosses the municipality in the district of Santo Stefano Udinese, coming from the direction of Merlana. Check the current signage before cycling. This keeps the information about the circular route and the cycle route as separate planning points.

Discover more destinations: Ravascletto, Cepletischis, Valbruna, Moggio Udinese, Cassacco, Taipana, Nogaredo di Corno, Torreano

For the overview of the wider area: Udine.