The best traffic-free bike rides around Pasiano Di Pordenone

The parish church of San Giovanni Battista, the spiritual heart of Meduna di Livenza, is a sacred building of ancient origins, rebuilt in neoclassical style between the late 18th and early 19th centuries to replace the previous 15th-century temple. The facade is marked by majestic semicolumns with Corinthian capitals supporting a triangular pediment. Inside, the church presents a single nave, airy and rich in decorations. It houses a significant artistic heritage: the most famous work is the altarpiece depicting the Nativity of San Giovanni Battista, attributed to the school of the Venetian master Palma il Giovane. One can also admire refined marble altars and 19th-century frescoes decorating the ceiling. The imposing bell tower, detached from the main body, stands out against the profile of the riverside village.

The center of Motta di Livenza presents itself as a refined blend of Venetian architecture and river vitality. The heart of the town is Piazza Luzzatti, overlooking elegant buildings and arcades that invite strolling. Not far away, the Duomo di San Nicolò stands out with its imposing structure, a guardian of art treasures that testify to the city's glorious past. The connection with the Livenza river is palpable along its banks, where the natural landscape merges with the urban fabric, creating evocative views. Amidst decorated historic buildings and lively commercial activities, the center preserves the typical atmosphere of the mainland cities of the Serenissima, offering a welcoming environment where history, culture, and local traditions meet harmoniously.

The Church of Sant'Anastasio, located in the hamlet of the same name in Cessalto, represents one of the oldest historical-architectural testimonies in the Treviso plain. It stands along the route of the Via Postumia, the ancient Roman artery that connected the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian Sea, and was built on pre-existing structures from late antiquity. The current Romanesque structure retains an austere charm, characterized by the use of Roman reclaimed materials and a simple plan that invites contemplation. Inside, precious fragments of medieval frescoes adorning the walls can be admired, telling of centuries of popular devotion. This sacred place is not just a religious monument, but a fundamental cultural hub for understanding the rural and spiritual past of the Veneto region.

“Flumen Liquentia ex montibus Opiterginis…” among the rivers cited by Pliny is the Livenza, feminine. Almost always, however, in current language it is used as if it were masculine, due to the appellation “river” that precedes it. Regarding the origin of its name, there are two versions: some derive it from livens, from the verb livere (to be livid in color); others from liquens, from the verb liqui (to be liquid, to melt). The ancients always called it Liquentia, and this is also because its waters teem, clear, cold, and silent at the roots of the mountain above the pebbles, as if these and they were liquefying. Certainly a peculiar river of Sacile, it is one of the most beautiful watercourses encountered in the plains of northern Italy. A means of communication, the ultimate defense of the nascent Veneto Domain, a source of life for its water flow and for its richness in fish, the Livenza has always been cited by Greek and Latin authors.

Start of a gravel section with a compact base that crosses the Tremacque bridges allows you to reach the small hamlet of Ghirano, in the municipality of Prata di Pordenone.

Our twin sisters, our adventure companions.

The Meduna river in Tremacque near the Beato Marco D'Aviano bridge.

A glimpse of the Livenza river between Meduna di Livenza and the small hamlet of Ghirano.