Monfalcone
Encyclopedia
Monfalcone is a town and comune
of the province of Gorizia
(Friuli-Venezia Giulia
, northern Italy
), located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste
. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian.
It is a major industrial centre for manufacturing ships, airplanes, textiles, chemicals and refined oil. It is the home of Fincantieri
Cantieri Navali Italiani.
city of Aquileia
(181 BC), some thermal buildings were created on the hills, known as Insulae Clarae.
After the Ostrogoth, Byzantine
, Lombard
and Frank
domination, Monfalcone was controlled by the Patriarch of Aquileia
starting from 967. The Venetians
conquered it in 1420 after three days of siege, keeping it until 1511, when it fell to the French. Conquered back by Venice, it was ravaged by the troops of emperor Maximilian I
in 1513, who destroyed the Rocca. In 1521 it was returned to Venice, under which it remained until 1797. It was controlled by France until the fall of Napoleon, after which it became part of the Austrian Empire
.
During World War I
, it was captured by Italy in 1915 but fell back to Austria after the Italian rout at Caporetto
. Monfalcone returned to Italy in 1918.
, opened in 1860, is a junction
between the Venice–Trieste railway and the Udine–Trieste railway.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of the province of Gorizia
Province of Gorizia
The Province of Gorizia is a province in the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region of Italy.-Overview:Its capital is the city of Gorizia. It belonged to the Province of Udine between 1924 and 1927 and the communes of Sonzia, Plezzo, Bergogna, Caporetto, Tolmino, Circhina, Santa Lucia d'Isonzo,...
(Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste
Gulf of Trieste
The Gulf of Trieste is a shallow bay of the Adriatic Sea, in the extreme northern part of the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Gulf of Venice and is shared by Italy, Slovenia and Croatia...
. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian.
It is a major industrial centre for manufacturing ships, airplanes, textiles, chemicals and refined oil. It is the home of Fincantieri
Fincantieri
Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. is a shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is the largest shipbuilder in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest in Europe...
Cantieri Navali Italiani.
Geography
Monfalcone is the fifth most populous town in Friuli - Venezia Giulia and the main centre of Bisiacaria territory. Joined to its neighbourhoods, it reaches about 50,000 inhabitants. The town lies between the Carso hills and the Adriatic Sea, being the northernmost port of the Mediterranean Sea.History
In prehistoric times the area of Monfalcone housed several prehistorical fortified villages called castellieri. After the foundation of the RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
city of Aquileia
Aquileia
Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times...
(181 BC), some thermal buildings were created on the hills, known as Insulae Clarae.
After the Ostrogoth, Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
and Frank
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
domination, Monfalcone was controlled by the Patriarch of Aquileia
Patriarch of Aquileia
The Patriarch of Aquileia was an office in the Roman Catholic Church. During the Middle Ages the Patriarchate of Aquileia was a temporal state in Northern Italy. The Patriarchate of Aquileia as a church office was suppressed in 1752....
starting from 967. The Venetians
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
conquered it in 1420 after three days of siege, keeping it until 1511, when it fell to the French. Conquered back by Venice, it was ravaged by the troops of emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
in 1513, who destroyed the Rocca. In 1521 it was returned to Venice, under which it remained until 1797. It was controlled by France until the fall of Napoleon, after which it became part of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, it was captured by Italy in 1915 but fell back to Austria after the Italian rout at Caporetto
Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto , took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid , on the Austro-Italian front of World War I...
. Monfalcone returned to Italy in 1918.
Main sights
- Rocca (Castle). Of medieval origin (according to a legend, it was founded by Theoderic the Great, King of the Ostrogoths), its current appearance dates to the Venetian restorations in the early 16th century. The interior houses a speleology exhibition.
- Park of World War I
- KarstKrasKarst ; also known as the Karst Plateau, is a limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the Brkini Hills, northern Istria, and the Gulf of Trieste...
(Carso) area - Cathedral of Sant'Ambrogio
Transport
Monfalcone railway stationMonfalcone railway station
Monfalcone railway station serves the town and comune of Monfalcone, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northeastern Italy.Opened in 1860, the station is a junction between the Venice–Trieste railway and the Udine–Trieste railway....
, opened in 1860, is a junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
between the Venice–Trieste railway and the Udine–Trieste railway.
People
- Enrico TotiEnrico TotiEnrico Toti was an Italian cyclist, patriot and hero of World War I.Enrico lost his left leg while working for Italian railways, at the age of 24. After his injury he became a cyclist....
- Antonio Sant'EliaAntonio Sant'EliaAntonio Sant'Elia was an extremely influential Italian architect.-Life:Antonio Sant'Elia was born in Como, Lombardy. A builder by training, he opened a design office in Milan in 1912 and became involved with the Futurist movement...
- Elisa
- Gino PaoliGino PaoliGino Paoli is an Italian singer-songwriter. He wrote four masterpieces of Italian popular music: "Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa c'è", "Senza fine" and "Sapore di sale".- Biography :...
- Mauro Pelaschier
- Paolo RossiPaolo RossiPaolo Rossi is an Italian former football striker. In 1982, he led Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup title, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot/top scorer honors, and the Golden Ball. After his performance at the 1982 FIFA World Cup he became a hero in the hearts of all Italians...
, actor - Stefano ZoffStefano ZoffStefano Zoff is an Italian lightweight boxer from Monfalcone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.-External links:...
- Filippo ZappataFilippo ZappataFilippo Zappata was an Italian engineer and aircraft designer.Zappata was born in Ancona. He worked for Gabardini, Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico , Blériot, Breda, and Agusta, In the 1930s he designed a series of successful multi-engined hydroplanes such as the CANT Z.501 flying boat, CANT Z.506...
- Mo-DoMo-DoMo-Do is the pseudonym used by the Italian musician Fabio Frittelli . Mo-Do appeared in the 1990s as an Italian Eurodance band...
(Fabio Frittelli) - Sergio Davanzo, painter
- Tranquillo Marangoni, xilographer
- Franco Mania, painter
- Massimiliano VersaceMassimiliano VersaceMassimiliano Versace is a senior research scientist in the Neuromorphics Lab at Boston University in the Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, where he founded and is currently the director of the Neuromorphics Lab. He is co-leading the Boston University neural modeling team working with...
, scientist