Historic village · Medieval · Veneto

Village of Follina

Follina is a historic village in the Treviso province of the Veneto, set among the vine-covered hills of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco wine district, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Best known for the Cistercian Abbey of Santa Maria, the village also preserves a medieval street plan, traditional stone architecture, and a centuries-old connection to the wool trade and viticulture that shaped this corner of the Veneto foothills.

At a glance

Type: Historic hill village
Period: Medieval origins; documented from the 12th century
Style: Vernacular Veneto stone architecture
Location: Follina, Treviso province, Veneto, Italy
Coordinates: 45.9547° N, 12.1010° E
Current designation: Within UNESCO World Heritage Site — Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Hills (2019)

Overview

Follina occupies a narrow valley at the foot of the Dolomite foothills, watered by the Lierza stream whose mills once powered a flourishing wool industry. The village grew up around the Cistercian abbey founded here in the 12th century and retains a compact historic centre of stone houses, arcaded streets, and small piazzas typical of medieval Veneto settlements. Today Follina is also a gateway to the Prosecco wine route, with local producers offering tastings of the DOCG sparkling wine produced from the surrounding hillside vineyards.

History

The earliest documentary evidence for Follina dates to the 12th century, when a monastic community was established in the valley. The village developed as a service and market centre for the abbey and for the wool-working mills along the Lierza, which remained the economic backbone of the community through the Renaissance. Under Venetian rule from the 15th century, Follina participated in the broader agricultural and commercial network of the Treviso hill country. The 19th century brought significant change with the suppression of monastic communities under Napoleon and the subsequent decline of the wool industry, but viticulture expanded to fill the economic gap, a transformation that laid the foundations for the Prosecco heritage recognised today.

What you see

The historic centre of Follina is compact and easily explored on foot. The principal monument is the Cistercian abbey with its celebrated Romanesque cloister and Gothic church, which dominates the village square. Around the piazza, arcaded buildings in local stone recall the medieval market character of the settlement. The Lierza stream runs through the village, and traces of the old mill infrastructure survive in some properties. Beyond the built fabric, the surrounding landscape of terraced vineyards on steep hillsides — designated UNESCO heritage — provides a dramatic backdrop and excellent walking routes through the Prosecco country.

Cultural significance

Follina represents the layered heritage of the Veneto foothills, where medieval religious architecture, craft industry, and centuries of viticulture have combined to create a distinctive cultural landscape. Its inclusion within the UNESCO-recognised Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Hills acknowledges the inseparability of human settlement and agricultural practice in shaping this scenery. The village serves as an exemplar of the small-scale, community-centred heritage that UNESCO increasingly protects alongside individual monuments.

Practical information

Address: Follina, Treviso, Veneto, Italy
Opening hours: Village accessible at all times; abbey visiting hours vary — see Cistercian Abbey of Santa Maria listing
Tourist information: Check the Treviso Tourism Office or Strada del Prosecco e Vini dei Colli Conegliano Valdobbiadene website

Getting there

Follina is located approximately 30 km north of Treviso and 70 km north of Venice, in the Valdobbiadene valley. By car, take the A27 motorway and exit at Vittorio Veneto Sud, then follow the SS635 through the Prosecco hills. Local bus routes connect Follina with Treviso and Vittorio Veneto. The closest rail station is Vittorio Veneto on the Treviso–Calalzo line, from which local buses run to Follina.

Sources & resources

Find it on the map

Google Maps See the location on a full map → Street View Walk around the place virtually → OpenStreetMap Free community cartography →

Historical events at this place (1)

2019 Ars in tempore

Follina in the province of Treviso, is an active tourist and cultural center, thanks also to its belonging to the club of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and home to industrial and craft activities.



Civilization made its appearance in Follina already in prehistoric times (some finds date back to 120,000 years ago), while from the Roman era they are the remains of a path that someone has identified with the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate.



Towards the middle of the 12th century the Cistercian monks settled in Follina, who are credited with introducing woolen art in the Mareno Valley as well as the construction of the abbey of Santa Maria whose cloister was completed in 1268 by the building monks Arnaldo and Andrea and the master builders Zardino and Armano.



In 1436 the Venetian Republic invests Brandolino III and Gattamelata of the Feud of Valmareno; in 1439 Gattamelata gave his part to Brandolino. The fiefdom will remain with the Brandolini until 1797.



Around 1680 Follina made a qualitative leap from an economic point of view due to the foundation of the manufacture of the Brescia-born Francesco Fadda who was one of the first in Italy to try his hand at imitating the finest and most lightweight English and Dutch fabrics.



Then - around 1740 - the Tron - Stahl wool mills and later that of Col (l) es grafted onto the pilot experience of Fadda. Foreign technicians work in the factories who consolidate Follina&#39;s manufacturing vocation.



In 1797 the Republic of Venice fell and Follina followed the fate of the Veneto and passed under the control of the Archduchy of Austria by virtue of the agreements provided for by the Treaty of Campoformio.



On December 30, 1819 the church of Follina was erected as a parish, with the title of archpriest church, by the bishop of Cenedese Giovanni Benedetto Falier; until then it had been a curacy dependent on Valmareno. The first archpriest is Don Giobatta Boteselle from Col San Martino, already curated since 1818.



In 1865 the first Mutual Aid and Education Society of the province&#39;s workers was founded in Follina.



Towards the second half of the 1800s the textile industry of Follina was hit by an irreversible crisis and in 1891 no wool mill would be operating anymore.



On 9 November 1917 the year of enemy invasion begins during the great war; the country will be liberated only on October 29, 1918.



On 26 August 1944, in the context of the partisan struggle, the trial of Mario Min and Eraclea Zanette takes place, and they are executed. A few days later, in early September, the public square also witnessed the execution of two partisans (Marco Tempesta and Armando Fornasier) by the Germans who, continuing the round-up from Pieve di Soligo towards the Valley, had recently set fire to in Follina about twenty houses and 45 stables.



On 5 May 1968 the new town hall was inaugurated, based on a project by the architect. Conegliano slave. In the eighties, however, the &quot;Antonio Fogazzaro&quot; middle school was completed. The municipality also bought the former &quot;San Giuseppe&quot; college, alienating the cinema and the old town hall building, and built the park and sports facilities there.



Between the 1990s and the 2000s, the retirement home, auditorium and library were built. In addition, an intense urban and infrastructural redevelopment work is started. Productive development is consistent and creates a large number of jobs.

https://culturalheritageonline.com/places/village-of-follina-l4262/

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