San Zenone degli Ezzelini is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Treviso The province of Treviso () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso. The province is surrounded by Province of Belluno, Belluno in the north, Province of Vicenza, Vicenza in the west, Pro ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

, located about northwest of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and about northwest of

Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...

. San Zenone degli Ezzelini borders the following municipalities: Borso del Grappa,

Pieve del Grappa Pieve del Grappa is a comune in the province of Treviso, Veneto region of Italy. It was formed on 30 January 2019 with the merger of the comunes of Crespano del Grappa and Paderno del Grappa. The municipality contains the frazioni (subdivisions, ...

, Fonte, Loria,

Mussolente Mussolente is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is north of SS248 state road. History Mussolente consists of two distinct zones: a hilly area in the northern part and flatlands with an abundance of water in the souther ...

, and Riese Pio X.

History

Origins

San Zenone's territory was inhabited since prehistoric times, as attested by archaeological excavations that found stone utensils like scrapers and guns dated back to the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

(5.000-2.500 BC). It was hypothesized the establishment of a factory that realized similar objects and that the area surrounding

Asolo Asolo () is a town and ''comune'' in the Veneto, Veneto Region of northern Italy. It is known as "The Pearl of the province of Treviso", and also as "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its mountain settings. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'It ...

hosted the most important human settlements, whereas the underlying plan wasn't populated due to the presence of forests. In the following centuries the Proto-Ligures migrated in those lands, introducing the metal fusion. They were succeeded by the

Euganei The Euganei (fr. Lat. ''Euganei'', ''Euganeorum''; cf. Gr. ''εὐγενής'' (eugenēs) 'well-born') were a group of populations, difficult to define, settled in the flat and mountainous areas of Northeast Italy, between the Eastern Alps and t ...

and lastly by the Veneti.

Roman era

Since the 4th century BC, Veneti had contacts with the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, becoming their faithful allies. At the end of the 2nd century BC, the whole regione was completely submitted to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The jurisdiction of San Zenone was assigned to the ''

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

'' of Asolo that decided its

centuriation Centuriation (in Latin ''centuriatio'' or, more usually, ''limitatio''), also known as Roman grid, was a method of land measurement used by the Romans. In many cases land divisions based on the survey formed a field system, often referred to in m ...

and to build up the

Via Postumia The Via Postumia was an ancient military Roman road of northern Italy constructed in 148 BC by the ''consul'' Spurius Postumius Albinus Magnus. It ran from the coast at Genoa through the mountains to Dertona, Placentia (the termination of the ...

and the Via Aurelia of Veneto. The commune'' preserved many historical proofs of this period, like gravestons and remains of houses.

Middle Age

Even after the fall of the Roman Empire, san Zenone didn't lost its strategical military role. During this period the hill was probably fortified by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

. Possibly, the presence of a castle originated the development of a residential area, entiched by a church. Initially, it depended from the ''

pieve In Italy in the Middle Ages, a ''pieve'' (, ; ; : ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. ''Pieve'' is also an Italian and Corsican term signifying the medieval ecclesiastical/a ...

'' of Sant'Eulalia, actually a fraction of the ''commune'' of Borso del Grappa, but around the 10th century it should have assumed ecclesiastical autonomy. In fact, a ''plebem S. Zenonis cum medietate castri et pertinentiis suis'' was mentioned in a Latin list of the possessions of the

bishop of Treviso The Diocese of Treviso () is Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Veneto, Italy. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Patriarchate of Venice. History Treviso pr ...

dated back to

1152 Year 1152 ( MCLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Levant * Spring – King Baldwin III and his mother, Queen Melisende, are called to intervene in a dispute between Baldwin's aunt H ...

. In 1036, Ezzelo, forefather of the powerful

Ezzelini The Ezzelini were a noble family in medieval Italy. The family was founded by Ecelo (Ezzelo), who received the fiefs of Romano d'Ezzelino and Onara * Ezzelino I da Romano (died 1189), called ''il Balbo'' ** Ezzelino II da Romano (died 1235), ca ...

family, moved to Italy following Conrad the Salic's army. Subsequently, he got the

investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian kn ...

for the lands located at the feet of

Monte Grappa Monte Grappa () (1,775 m) is a mountain of the Venetian Prealps in Veneto, Italy. It lies between the Venetian plain to the south and the central alpine areas to the north. To the west, it is parted from the Asiago upland by the Brenta river, a ...

, including san Zenone. In the second half of the 12th century, the

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centu ...

Ezzelino III da Romano Ezzelino III da Romano (25 April 1194, Tombolo, Veneto, Tombolo7 October 1259) was an Italian feudal lord, a member of the Ezzelini family, in the March of Treviso (in modern Veneto). He was a close ally of the emperor Frederick II, Holy Roman ...

, descendant of Ezzelo, unified the

up to

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

. In

1259 Year 1259 ( MCCLIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * September – Battle of Pelagonia: The Empire of Nicaea defeats the Principality of Achaea, ensuring the eventual reconquest ...

, he was defeated, imprisoned in Soncino and died after having refused drugs and sacraments. His dominion broke up rapidly and Alberico, the Ezzelino's son and most important ally, took refuge in the San Zenone's castle: here, after a long siege of a league of Guelph cities, he was captured by his enemies and killed together with his family the following year. Since

1314 Events January – March * January 17 – Queen Oljath, who had been the Queen consort of the Kingdom of Georgia as wife of King Vakhtang II (d. 1292), and then his cousin, King David VIII (d. 1302), marries a third time, taking ...

, San Zenone returned under the control of Treviso.

The Serenissima

1339 Year 1339 (Roman numerals, MCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * June – Battle of Laupen: The Canton of Bern defeats the forces of Fribourg. * September 18 – Em ...

was subjugated by the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. In the same year, was instituted the '' podesteria'' of Asolo to which were assigned San Zenone and Liedolo. The Venetian conquest was concluded solely in 1388. Except for the

War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...

, the Venetian rulig created a period of political stability and economical prosperity for the local population.

Napoleon and the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia

1797 Events January–March * January 3 – The Treaty of Tripoli, a peace treaty between the United States and Ottoman Tripolitania, is signed at Algiers (''see also'' 1796). * January 7 – The parliament of the Cisalpine Repu ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

put end to the Republic of Venice. This event was followed by a period of crisis during which the Veneto was annexed to the

Archduchy of Austria The Archduchy of Austria (; ) was a major Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern periph ...

, then to France and again to the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

that in 1815 created the

Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (), commonly called the "Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom" (; ), was a constituent land (crown land) of the Austrian Empire from 1815 to 1866. It was created in 1815 by resolution of the Congress of Vienna in recogniti ...

Kingdom of Italy

1866 Events January * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...

, San Zenone became part of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

. In the following years was completed the new parish church, which replaced the older and unstable holy building. The town was known simply as San Zenone until 1867.

Coats of arms

The odiern coats of arms was adopted in 1889. It represents the tower of the ancient medieval castle of San Zenone. The mohawk

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

with a horseshoe is the crest that belongs to the Ezzelini family's emblem. The ''commune'' has also a

gonfalon The gonfalon, gonfanon, gonfalone (from the early Italian ''confalone'') is a type of heraldic flag or banner, often pointed, swallow-tailed, or with several streamers, and suspended from a crossbar in an identical manner to the ancient Roman v ...

with the same insignia than that of the coats of arms.

Demographic evolution

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Foreign ethnicities and minorities

As of December 31, 2022, foreigners residents in the municipality were , i.e. % of the population. The largest groups are shown below:cittadini stranieri
tuttitalia.it #

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Main sights

*Of the old castle only a tower, which is the town's symbol, remains. *''Villa Tedesco'' (16th century) *''Villa di Rovero'' (remade in the 18th century)

Twin towns

Majano Majano () is a (municipality) in the Regional decentralization entity of Udine in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about northwest of Udine. Majano borders the following municipalities: Buja ...

, Italy, since 2000 * Marzling, Germany, since 2006

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Zenone Degli Ezzelini Cities and towns in Veneto