Zoppola is a town in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia plain, born around a castle near a ford on the Tagliamento river, which separates the two cultural areas of Friuli, of which it was the control point.
Zoppola is located not far from Pordenone and as the entire plain area, its territory has also been inhabited since prehistoric times and perhaps the name Zoppola derives from the Celtic word zaupo.
The known history begins in 40 BC. when in their expansion the Romans founded Aquileia and other fortress cities, they assigned the lands to the colonists (soldiers or freed slaves) and brought political and administrative stability throughout the Friulian plain for a few centuries.
The history of Zoppola and FVG changed with the fall of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the barbarians from Eastern Europe. It is in this period that castras were built, i.e. fortified lookout points that could also accommodate and give refuge to the population.
In the 10th century the Friulian plain suffered the invasion of Hungarian populations, and many areas were then repopulated by people of Slavic origin. The first document that mentions Zoppola is a sale of a property in 1103 when the territory was part of the dominions of the Austrian dukes of Cordenons-Pordenone. In this period there already existed a first church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, which was enlarged several times over the centuries, while the bell tower dates back to the sixteenth century. Saint Martin of Tours is also the patron saint of Zoppola and is celebrated every year on November 11th.
Over the years the Zoppola castle has grown and fortified and in 1405 it was purchased by the family of Antonio Panciera, who was then the Patriarch of Aquileia, and who still holds it today. Since then, this noble Friulian family is also known as the Panciera di Zoppola and was registered with the Venetian patriciate in 1777, and then these recognitions of nobility were confirmed by the Austrian Empire in 1820.
With the expansion of the Republic of Venice towards the entire plain area, Zoppola also fell under its dominion. Venice was not magnanimous towards the population and a first revolt took place in 1511, during Fat Thursday: the so-called "cruel zobia grassa" riots.
There were other castles within the current territory of Zoppola, such as the castle of Cusano which had a period of splendor before falling into ruin and being destroyed. The railway linking Pordenone with the eastern FVG was then built on its ruins.
With the fall of the Republic of Venice, the entire plain was occupied by French troops who governed until its annexation by the Austrian Empire. Zoppola officially entered the Kingdom of Italy in 1866 while the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia was formed more recently between 1954 and 1975 from the union of the two regions of Friuli and Venezia Giulia.
Today the panorama of Zoppola is still dominated by the castle of the Panciera counts where the study of Cardinal Antonio Pancera is located. Worth visiting is the Celso and Giovanni Costantini Civic Art Gallery which, in addition to hosting the archive and documents of the history of Zoppola, has a large collection of local artists and organizes various art exhibitions.
Among the numerous festivals of Zoppola and its hamlets, we highlight the Asparagus Festival in Cusano di Zoppola in May, the Shrimp Festival in Orcenico Superiore di Zoppola in June, the Potato Festival in Ovoledo di Zoppola in mid-July while in August there is the Festival at Parco Burgos in Castions di Zoppola, a celebration that lasts a week and involves everything from gastronomy to culture, from sport to music and art.
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