About the origins of the town's name, there are different opinions: for some historians, it honors the local Patron Saint, while another school of thought, attests that the name derives from the Latin "Vicus" (village). Municipality in the province of Pordenone, located near the river Tagliamento, which borders the province of Udine, San Vito al Tagliamento is a medieval town that still features traces of its past, with the presence of fortified walls and the three towers, one of which was dedicated to the Patriarch Raimondo della Torre, who had it built in the XIII century.
In the area numerous prehistoric settlements have been found dating from the Mesolithic and Neolithic Ages. In pre-Roman times, the Celts settled here and of the Roman Empire remain the name of districts with certain Latin influence, confirmed also by various traces left by the Romans. From 568 A.D. the land belonged to the Lombards. The main centre origins go back up to the times in which Otto II granted some lands in the area to the patriarch Rodoaldo, around year 1000. The center expanded in the XIII century, while in the XV, conquered by the Venetians, the inhabitants gained their own status. After the invasion of the Turks, the town submitted the same fate of the other adjacent localities of the entire region.
Attractions:
- the Cathedral dedicated to San Vito and Martyrs Modesto and Crescenzia, built and designed in the XVIII century by the architect Andrioli, where once stood an earlier XV century building. The façade is very simple, while the single nave interior is extremely rich and a real art gallery featuring artworks by several important artists, such as: the polychrome marble altars sculptured by the Mattiussi brothers and a XV century triptych by Bellunello. The church is flanked by a tall Bell Tower with a square plan base;
- the Church of the Annunciation or the Santa Maria di Castello, which was built adjacent to the residence of the Patriarchs. Documents of the first half of the XIV century, already attest its presence. Inside are preserved frescoes of the XIV century, a fine wooden altar of the Annunciation by Varotari and on the outside a series of frescoes depicting the Patron Saint;
- the Church of San Lorenzo, built in the second half of the XV century, features a Classical façade with a pediment. Originally a single nave plan building , it was enlarged at a later date. It presents frescoes of the artists Ferrer and Amalteo and a series of artistic altars;
- the Sanctuary of Madonna di Rosa, recently rebuilt, is flanked by a tall round shaped Bell Tower, the only remaining intact after the bombing of the Second World War. It houses an image of the Virgin, which miraculously remained intact among the ruins of the building struck by enemy fire;
- the XIII century Church of Santa Petronilla in Savorgnano, which was built by the Benedictines and decorated with valuable frescoes;
- the XV century Church of Santa Maria dei Beati, which contains artworks by Pilacorte and Amalteo;
- the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Prodolone, which contains frescoes of the Bellunello;
- the Archaeological Museum preserves artifacts from various eras, from the Prehistoric Ages, through the Roman and Lombard times;
- the Old City walls and three watching towers: Scaramuccia, Grimana and Raimonda, the latter features battlements and beautiful mullioned windows;
- the Arrigoni Theatre;
- Palazzo Rota.