Monfalcone

Monfalcone (in the local Bisiac dialect: Mofalcòn, Slovene: Tržič, German: Falkenberg) is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy), located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian. It is a major industrial centre for manufacturing ships, airplanes, textiles, chemicals and refined oil. It is the home of Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani. Geography Monfalcone is the fifth most populous town in Friuli - Venezia Giulia and the main centre of Bisiacaria territory. Joined to its neighbourhoods, it reaches about 50,000 inhabitants. The town lies between the Carso hills and the Adriatic Sea, being the northernmost port of the Mediterranean Sea. History In prehistoric times the area of Monfalcone housed several fortified villages called castellieri. After the foundation of the Roman city of Aquileia (181 BC), some thermal buildings were created on the hills, known as Insulae Clarae. After the Ostrogoth, Byzantine, Lombard and Frank domination, Monfalcone was controlled by the Patriarch of Aquileia starting from 967. The Venetians conquered it in 1420 after three days of siege, keeping it until 1511, when it fell to the French. Conquered back by Venice, it was ravaged by the troops of emperor Maximilian I in 1513, who destroyed the Rocca. In 1521 it was returned to Venice, under which it remained until 1797. It was controlled by France until the fall of Napoleon, after which it became part of the Austrian Empire. During World War I, the town was captured by Italy in 1915. It was briefly recaptured by Austria in 1917, after the battle of Caporetto. Monfalcone returned to Italy in 1918. Main sights Rocca (Castle). Of medieval origin (according to a legend, it was founded by Theoderic the Great, King of the Ostrogoths), its current appearance dates to the Venetian restorations in the early 16th century. The interior houses a speleology exhibition. Park of World War I Karst (Carso) area Cathedral of Sant'Ambrogio Transport Monfalcone railway station, opened in 1860, is a junction between the Venice–Trieste railway and the Udine–Trieste railway. People Enrico Toti Antonio Sant'Elia Elisa Gino Paoli Mauro Pelaschier Paolo Rossi, actor Stefano Zoff Filippo Zappata Mo-Do (Fabio Frittelli) Sergio Davanzo, painter Mirko Gruden, footballer Tranquillo Marangoni, xilographer Franco Mania, painter Oriente Mania, owner Massimiliano Versace, scientist International relations Twin towns – Sister cities Monfalcone is twinned with: Neumarkt in Steiermark, Austria Gallipoli, Italy Karadeniz Ereğli, Turkey Zonguldak, Turkey External links Official website (Italian)