An old medieval hamlet dating back to Roman times, formerly a part of the territory of Aquileia then annexed to the Serenissima Republic of Venice, Clauiano was invaded by the Turks then passed briefly under French dominion and into the hands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before becoming an integral part of Italy.
Situated just outside Palmanova, the old star-shaped fortress town that became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017, Clauiano lies amidst cereal crops and vineyards in the Friuli countryside. Always a rural hamlet, from the seventeenth century onwards it hosted the Confraternity of Shoemakers of Udine and several artisan shoemakers’ shops (calegari) before partially converting to the breeding of silkworms.
Famous with scholars and photography and architecture enthusiasts, since 2004 Clauiano has been a member of the prestigious “I Borghi più belli d’Italia” circuit, showcasing to visitors its houses and typical portals, reconstructed after the Saracen raids using stones from the local area or pebbles from the nearby river Torre, which is why it is called the village of “piéris e clàps” (stones and pebbles).