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.
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.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- J8°
- F11°
- M14°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J30°
- A30°
- S25°
- O20°
- N13°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Assunzione di Maria, 15 August
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, occupied by Benedictines until 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.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Sesto al Reghena’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Venice (TSF), about 1 hour by car.
Verona (VRN) is about 2h 15m away.
By car from the centre of Udine 53 minutes or Trieste 1h 17m.
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 hour away by road.
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.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Sesto al Reghena fits in a slow Italy circuit.
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Living here
- Population 6,313
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Venice, 1 h 2 min drive
- Regional capital Trieste, 1 h 17 min drive
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?
- Venice (TSF), about 1 hour 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 minutes 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.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Sesto al Reghena?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Assunzione di Maria, 15 August.
- Which other towns are like Sesto al Reghena?
- Gradisca d'Isonzo, Palmanova and Valvasone Arzene.
- How many people live in Sesto al Reghena?
- 6,313 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 13 m
- Population: 6,313
- 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.
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