Friuli-Venezia Giulia · Pordenone
Sesto al Reghena
A 730s Benedictine abbey on the Reghena, ravaged by Magyars in 899, refortified in the tenth century, and still the town hall today.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Sesto al Reghena is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia and Città del Vino.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- By car
- 53 min from Udine
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 6,302
- J8°
- F11°
- M14°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J30°
- A30°
- S25°
- O20°
- N13°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Sesto al Reghena sits on the Friuli-Venetian plain, between the Tagliamento and the Reghena, a small river bordered by linden trees that runs through the centro. The name records the sixth Roman mile out of Concordia Sagittaria on the road to Iulia Augusta. The town is one place: the Abbazia di Santa Maria in Sylvis, founded by the Lombard nobles Erfo, Marco, and Anto between 730 and 735, held by Benedictines from Nonantola from 762, sacked by a Magyar raid in 899, and refortified with walls and a moat in the tenth century.
The abbey crypt is supported by twenty columns, several of them Roman spolia. At the center stands the Urn of St. Anastasia, a single block of Greek marble carved by Cividale masters in the eighth century, with rose, cross, and arched motifs. The abbey complex is the current town hall, the only commune in Italy headquartered inside a fortified Benedictine monastery. In Friulian, the village is called Siest.
How to get there
From Treviso (TSF), about 1 h 2 min by car.
Verona (VRN) is about 2 h 15 min away.
By car from the center of Udine 53 min or Trieste 1 h 17 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Venice, Verona or Bologna?
Coming by train into Venezia Santa Lucia? Sesto al Reghena is about 1 h 2 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Treviso airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Abbazia di Santa Maria in Sylvis
Eighth-century Benedictine abbey, refortified after the 899 Magyar sack, with a crypt of twenty columns and Carolingian-era frescoes; now the town hall.
Urna di Sant'Anastasia
Single block of Greek marble in the abbey crypt, carved by Cividale masters in the eighth century with roses, crosses, arches, and rosettes.
Torre Grimani
Surviving gate-tower of the medieval abbey defenses, named for the Venetian commendatory abbots who held the monastery in the sixteenth century.
Fiume Reghena
Slow spring-fed river running through the comune between hedges and linden banks, with a riverside walk from the abbey to the open countryside.
Borgo abbaziale
Walled enclosure of the abbey complex, with the abbot's residence, the foresteria, the courtyard, and the few houses that grew up inside the moat.
Living here
Could you live here?
Sesto al Reghena meets both of our rules for a small town.
- 6,302 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Pordenone, a city of 52,314, is 23 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 6,302, down 0.2% since 2015
- Nearest city Pordenone, 23 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital San Vito al Tagliamento, 8 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €700 to €900 per m² to buy, €3.00 to €4.00 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 92% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Trieste airport (TRS), 47 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Trieste, 1 h 17 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
7% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, India and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. 10 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe. There are 213 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 14% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Pordenone province ranks 24th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in San Vito al Tagliamento, 8 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Udine, 41 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Pordenone, 17 km away. The nearest IB school is H-Farm International School Venice, 43 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Udine International School, 40 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
Friuli Venezia Giulia has its own property tax, ILIA, in place of IMU. The town adds between 0.4% and 0.7% to your income tax, depending on your income, with nothing due on income under €15,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Friuli-Venezia Giulia spends about €2,350 a month, €520 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €478 a year for water, on the Friuli-Venezia Giulia average. In Pordenone, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.38, a meal in a pizzeria €12.63 and a man's haircut €25.56.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 11% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 12% in a high or medium one. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
ABBEY TOWN HALL
The fortified Benedictine complex of Santa Maria in Sylvis houses the commune offices, the only Italian comune headquartered inside an abbey.
URNA DI SANT'ANASTASIA
Eighth-century Greek marble urn in the crypt, carved by the same Cividale workshop that produced the Tempietto Longobardo's stucco saints.
MAGYAR RAID
Hungarian horsemen sacked the abbey in 899; the surrounding moat, gate-tower, and inner walls date from the tenth-century rebuild.
Common questions
- What is Sesto al Reghena known for?
- Sesto al Reghena is a 730s Benedictine abbey on the Reghena, ravaged by Magyars in 899, refortified in the tenth century, and still the town hall today.
- Where is Sesto al Reghena?
- Sesto al Reghena is a comune in the province of Pordenone, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, at 13 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Sesto al Reghena?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Trieste (TRS), about 47 min by car.
- Can you get to Sesto al Reghena without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Udine to Sesto al Reghena?
- About 53 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Sesto al Reghena?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Sesto al Reghena?
- Palmanova, Gradisca d'Isonzo and Valvasone Arzene.
- How many people live in Sesto al Reghena?
- 6,302 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Sesto al Reghena a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Sesto al Reghena is a small town that meets both of our rules. The nearest city, Pordenone, is 23 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in San Vito al Tagliamento, 8 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 92% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 13 m
- Population: 6,302
- Surface area: 40.68 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Sesto al Reghena appears in
- The best hidden towns you can reach by train in Friuli-Venice GiuliaFriuli-Venezia Giuliaby trainhidden6 towns · smallest 1,935 residents
- The prettiest villages in the province of PordenonePordenone provinceprettiest villages6 towns · smallest 588 residents
- The best towns you can reach by train within an hour of VeniceNear Veniceby trainwithin 60 min10 towns · smallest 3,897 residents · closest 34 min away
- The best wine towns in Friuli-Venice GiuliaFriuli-Venezia Giuliawine10 towns · smallest 3,124 residents
- The safest places to live in Italy: 10 small towns in the lowest-crime provincesCalabrialowest-crime provinces5,000 to 20,000 people10 towns · smallest 6,302 residents
Similar
Towns like Sesto al Reghena
What all six share with Sesto al Reghena: near sea level
Palmanova
Province: Udine
both on the Friulian plain · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Gradisca d'Isonzo
Province: Gorizia
both on the Friulian plain · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Valvasone Arzene
Province: Pordenone
both on the Friulian plain · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Cervignano del Friuli
Province: Udine
both on the Friulian plain · both have a railway station in the comune
Battaglia Terme
Province: Padova
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both have a railway station in the comune
Cordovado
Province: Pordenone
both on the Friulian plain
The letter
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