It was known in Roman times as Feltria and described as an oppidum by Pliny (Nat. Hist. iii, 130), who also assigned its foundation to the Alpine tribe of the Rhaetians. The city obtained the status of Municipium in 49 BC.

After the fall of the Western Empire, under which it had developed into a flourishing city, it became a Lombard dominion. Later in the Middle Ages, it was ruled by Ezzelino da Romano, the Camino family, by the Scaligeri of Verona from 1315 to 1337. Feltre was subsequently under Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, the da Carrara and the Visconti until 1404, when, together with Belluno, it was conquered by the Republic of Venice. In 1499 it received a new line of walls.

View of Feltre - 1667 By Domenico Falce

In 1509 the center of the town was mostly destroyed during battles between the Venetians and the League of Cambrai, and later rebuilt with a characteristic 16th century style. In 1797, after the fall of Venice, it was ruled for some times by the French. After the Congress of Vienna (1814), Feltre was assigned to the Austrian Empire, to which remained until 1866.  It was besieged by Austria during World War I.

According to Plinio il Vecchio (Naturalis Historia, III,130), ancient Feltria (Feltre) was founded by  the Reti (pre-romans) around 200 B.C along with the cities of Trento and Verona. The name 'Feltre' is close to the Etruscan language. (Felthuri, meaning 'City of Fel')

Conquered by the Romans, Feltria becomes Municipium and in an imperial era it enjoys a notable economic development. With Rome, came security, growth and establishment. Fundamentally, the closeness to the very important Via Claudia Augusta, main street that from Altino, along the lake Veneta, connected through Trento and Il Bennero until Augusta Vindelicum,  in Ausburg, Bavaria.

In the late empire the expansion of Christianity permitted the founding of the Diocese of Feltre with its first cathedral.

The crisis and the fall of the roman empire of the west and the invasions of the Goti (Goths) weakened Feltre that passed later on under the dominion of the Lombards of the Duke of Ceneda. One of the small towns of Feltre takes its name from that period, the town of Farra. (Farra, form the German word 'Fara', meaning 'to make camp') Not long after, the city passed to the Franks of Carlo Magno, and therefore to his successor Berengario, king of Italy.

From this moment until the XIV century, the Episcopal power became stronger, from when the bishops were elevated to higher ranks such as counts. They were in charge of a comitatus (a county) quite extent, besides the actual territory of Feltre, also the valleys of Primiero, Testino, Valsugana until Pergine.

During the XIII XIV century feltre was involved in tragic events bounded to the rule of the 'Da Romano' (Ezzelino da Romano was the name of various seignors of fiefs and cities in northern Italy starting from the 12th century AD.), ending finally under the power of the 'Da Camino' (The da Camino, also known as Caminesi) were an Italian noble family whose fame is connected to the medieval history of the March of Treviso, a city of which they were lords for a while). To these they followed the Carraresi (The Carraresi or da Carrara were an important family of northern Italy in the period 12th-15th centuries), from 1315 to 1337, the Scaligeri of Verona (The noble family of the Scaliger also Scaligeri, from de Scalis or della Scala, were Lords of Verona.) and finally, the Viscounts of Milan (Visconti was the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages).

What is the meaning of Serenissima?

The Most Serene Republic of Venice (Venetian: (Serenìsima) Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia, Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia) or Venetian Republic was an Italian state originating from the city of Venice (today in Northeastern Italy).

In 1404 with the death of the Duke of Milano Giangelazzo Visconti, Feltre, not being able to defend for itself from the Carraresi preffered to follow the example of Vicenza and surrender to the Republic of Venice. (Fact that it is still remembered every year with the Feltre palio) The Venetian empire secured the people of Feltre, a period of peace and prosperity.

It was in 1509 when the city was almost completely destroyed from the troops of Massimiliano I of Austria along the Lega di Cambrai, came to Italy to fight the Serenissima (The republic of Venice) Consequently, the reconstruction of Feltre was made in one unicum style of urban architecture of the renaissance era.

In the 16th century the city begin to decade and the economy was in crisis.  In 1729 Feltre. In 1729 Feltre employed Carlo Goldoni as an assistant of the Chancellery. Goldoni was then still quite distant from becoming the very famous teacher and reformer of the theater, but, already interested to the stage and to the actors, began the drawing of some of its works, one being The cantatrice.

Dopo il Congresso di Vienna che, pur tendendo a ristabilire lo status quo ante Napoleone, non ricostituì la Repubblica di Venezia, Feltre entrò a far parte del Regno Lombardo-Veneto, soggetto all'Impero d'Austria. Vi rimase fino al 1866, anno della sua annessione al Regno d'Italia a seguito di un plebiscito.

After the Congress of Vienna that, trying to restore the status quo of Napoleon, did not re-establish the Republic of Venice, Feltre became part of the Lombard Kingdom-Venetian, subject to the empire of Austria until 1866, year when it became part of the Kingdom of Italy

The Austrians returned with the Great Warafter the break of Caporetto, hitting hard the city and remaining until the end of the conflict. On July 19, 1943, during the Second World War, was the well-known Meeting of Feltre between Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. The meeting was held at Villa Gaggia, a few kilometers from the city, and the two heads of state made their apparition to the balcony - today dismantled -  then a present Large Caffé overlooking Largo Castaldi. It was the last action of Mussolini, head of the Kingdom, that would fall a few days later, on July 25.

The terrible night of Santa Marina on June 19, 1944

The city of Feltre was occupied from the German four days after. Feltre was besieged together to the Province of Belluno, under the command of the Third Reich. The territory of Feltre was an important operating zone of the partisan formations. Many Feltrini paid with their life for antifascist activity: we remember, for example, the terrible night of Santa Marina on June 19, 1944 (in which the colonel Angelo Zancanaro, his son Luciano, Pietro Vedrami, Roberto Column and Oldino De Paoli, were massacred in front of the doors of the Seminar Don Giulio Gaio and Don Candido Fent). To understand the participation of the partisans in Feltre, we remember the words of a SS officer: "Feltre is the town that gives us more problems with everything of all the Province, where the opposition to our authority, and the partisan activity, are more solid decided".

If you have any questions, please email us at info@vafeltre.com 

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