The history of Caorle
The city of Carole developed during the Serenissima Republic of Venice. You can still find some vestiges of that ancient era at the historic centre of the city, under the famous Romanic tower and cathedral (1038). Caorle’s most ancient origins date back to the Roman epoch when the actual port of Falconeria was still called “Portus Reatinium”. However, it seems that 1500 years before Christ there were some settlements in this area, precisely in San Gaetano surroundings. The archaeological find of a Roman ship of the I century a.C testifies and confirms the Roman origins of Caorle. Inside this ship they found prestigious and rare amphora. We still cannot explain for the name “Caorle,” however somebody says that it finds its origin in “caprulae” that refers to an island populated by goats.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Caorle became one of the most famous cities on the Adriatic littoral, as well as it was fundamental refuge for the people who were attached by the hordes of Barbarian that set fire to Aquileia, Concordia, Oderzo, Altino and Padova. In the year 876 they set down the Episcopal See, in command of Bishop Leone. In the year 1000, they completed the costruction of all his churches. During the centuries that followed, the city developed and increased its population, as the local people says, it became a “ricca de zente e de possenza” city, “a rich and powerful city”. It became a very important centre for the fishers and the Venetian merchant fleets.
Venice and Caorle
After some years of prosperity, Caorle went into decline and its decaying corresponds to the Serenissima Republic’s eclipse itself. After the Habsburg domineering (‘800) and after the two World Wars, Caorle began to rebirth, increasing its tourist economy. During the Venetian era, Carole was an island surrounded by docks, marshes and lagoon valleys but in the course of the last century the draining interventions have radically changed the territory’s aspect. At the beginning of the 20the century, the historical centre of the city was still crossed by canals and today what remains of that old structure is the so called “Rio Interno,” the multicoloured fishing port that still welcomes people and tourists coming from the surroundings of Caorle.
Every day, at dusk, you can see many fishing boats leaving for the outland to come back during the afternoon with the fish to be sold to the markets. Even though the hotel industry is the principal activity of Caorle, the city still preserves its maritime fashion and the fishing keeps on being a very important commercial resource of the environment. To make an example, the “casoni,” the barracks of the lagoon are authentically considered an archaeological evidence of the lagoons and the first buildings date back to the first human settlements on this region.
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