Oderzo

Oderzo is a town near Treviso. It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about 66 km northeast of Venice. The town is traversed by the Monticano River, a tributary of the Livenza river.
The historical centre has archeological ruins that give insight into Oderzo's history as a notable crossroad in the Roman Empire.
The earliest settlement of the area can be dated to the Iron Age, around the X century B.C. Etymologically, "-terg-" in Opitergium stems from a Venetic root word indicating a market (q.v. Tergeste, the old name of Trieste). The location on the Venetian plain made the town ideal as a center for trade.
Oderzo’s population appear to have maintained friendly relations with the Romans while they were gradually Romanized. The Postumia road, finished in 148 B.C, increased the importance of the town.
In 48 BC the city was elevated to the rank of Roman municipium and its citizens assigned to the Roman tribe Papiria. The Roman age saw the construction of prodigious building projects including a forum, a basilica, temples and many private houses.
According to the tradition, the first Doge of Venice, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, came from Oderzo. In 1380 the town became a stable possession of the Republic of Venice.
Oderzo was added to Italy’s kingdom in 1866 but in 1917 it was damaged during the retreat of the Italians at Caporetto.
The actual city plan begun its development from the low medieval-renaissance age. Almost nothing remains from the Roman period because of the following destructions.

It’s a fortificated borough. The actual historical center has developed in different fases. The first one corresponds to the period following the 1000 A.C.: during that period the central square and its surrounding were edificated.

The ramparts had three ways of access: “Porta Trevisana”, the actual “Torresin”, “Porta Friuli”, which was destructed on the XIX century, and “Porta San Marino”.

The fortificated borough stands a few meters from the Monticano river, on the Camino border.
The borough begins the expansion out of the ramparts from the XIII century. This expansion can be noticed because of the streets paved in pavé.

During the Venetian domination the city started the development toward the South to the “gothic lotto” and toward the North-West
From the end of the XIX century a long period of expansion started and it’s still continuing, always respecting the history and the beauty of the city.