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The territory of Buttrio is characterized by a splendid panorama over the low Friulian plain, which stretches to the lagoon in the south and extends towards the Alps in the north.
Nestled among vineyards and forests, this territory has attracted inhabitants since ancient times due to the beauty, climate, morphology, and nature of its places. Villas, stately homes, fortified houses, and rural dwellings mark the long history of this interest.
Even the Serenissima Republic of Venice understood the value of this territory, as expressed by the Venetian lieutenant Francesco Michiel in the mid-1500s: “This land of Friuli is a beautiful province […] It is situated on a wide plain, surrounded on the north by three orders of mountains: the first of which are hills, or very pleasant mountains, fruitful in wheat and very delicate and perfect wines, and excellent fruits…”.
The territory of Buttrio is dedicated to agriculture but also to a renowned artisanal and industrial development, as well as the recent growth of modern viticulture.
The Torre River and the hills, the two essential elements of Buttrio’s morphology, have always accompanied the history of the town, providing it with the resources necessary for its development and settlements. As a matter of fact, also the ancient city walls, and the dry stone walls of the terraces on the hills, enclose both the pebbles and larger stones extracted from the Torre River and the conglomerate (called “cret” in Friulian) (called “cret” in Friulian) and sandstone blocks extracted from the cleared lands, known as “ronchi”.
The “ronchi” (meaning “cleared lands with a billhook for cultivation” in Friulian) constitute the main feature of the town’s hills, where vine cultivation is practiced intensively.
Today, the landscape of the town appears deeply influenced by human activity. Rural and urban dwellings, historic stately villas, artistic churches, artisanal and industrial settlements have brought about significant and rapid transformations to the territory. Green spaces have been eroded by decisive urban expansion, especially in the last decades of the 20th century. The hills and plains are occupied by vineyards and other crops, old and new road infrastructures. This is Buttrio today: it preserves the traces of its history while looking to the future.
A territory that carries its memories within, and shapes the landscape around.
