Tolmezzo

The city of Tolmezzo is the main economic and administrative centre in Carnia. Its ancient and rather complex history is reected in the colourful and unique elegance of its buildings, most of which were built and extended in the eighteenth century boom created by the entrepreneurial genius of Jacopo Linussio. Its origins are probably pre-Roman even if its ancient name, Tulmetium or Tumech, rst appears at the end of the rst millennium. Between the 18th and 19th century, under the patriarchate of Aquileia, it was a bustling city, devoted to trac and trade, surrounded by high walls, eighteen towers and three gates, one of which, Porta di Sotto, is still visible today. In this period small mills and several artisans’ workshops, particularly those specialising in textile production, were built not far from the gate in what is still known nowadays as Borgo della Roggia (Via Del Din, Via Linussio). Textile production was a Carnic speciality that led to Tolmezzo having one of the largest factories of the eighteenth century with 30,000 workers at different sites and its products sold the world over. The resulting economic progress encouraged cultural and artistic growth of not only the city but also the whole of Carnia, contributing to the development of a unique alpine architecture, still present and well-preserved to this day.