Muggia

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Comune di Muggia
Muggia
Municipal coat of arms
Location of Muggia in Italy
Country	Italy
Region	Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Province	Trieste (TS)
Mayor	Nerio Nesladek

Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Area	13 km² (5 sq mi)
Population (as of 31-05-2007 (Istat))
- Total	13.412
- Density	1/km² (3/sq mi)
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	45°36′0″N, 13°46′0″E
Gentilic	Muggesani
Dialing code	040
Postal code	34015
Frazioni	Aquilinia (Žavlje), S.Barbara (Korošci), Chiampore (Čampore), Zindis, Lazzaretto-S.Bartolomeo (Sveti Jernej), Belpoggio (Beloglav)
Patron	Saints John and Paul
- Day	26 June
Website: www.comune.muggia.ts.it

Muggia (Slovene: Milje) is a small Italian comune in the extreme south-east of Trieste on lying on the border with Slovenia.

Muggia is the last and only flap of Istria still in Italian territory, after the Tito diktat in 1945.

Its territory, limited on the sea-side by an over 7 km long shoreline featuring a coast road of exceptional beauty and on the border side by a hill system Monti di Muggia, including Mt. Castellier, Mt. S. Michele, Mt. Zuc and Monte d'Oro, that dominate over a vast landscape of Italian and Istrian coast, is characterized by a rich sub-continental vegetation of both Carsic and Istrian type.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Culture
4 Twin towns
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

Muggia originated as a prehistoric fortified village (castelliere), around 8th-7th century BC. The territory was conquered in 178-177 BC by the Romans, who created here a settlement (Castrum Muglae). After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Muggia was under Ostrogoth, Lombard, Avar and Frank dominations, until, in 931, king Hugh of Italy donated it to the Patriarch of Aquileia.

Before the year 1000 a new settlement was built on the seashore, initially named the Village of the Laurel and then Muglae->Muglia->Mulia->Muia->Muggia (muglia seems to be an ancient place-name meaning "coastal swamp"). After the 13th century the new village, now grown to the status of city, pronounced itself a municipality and defined its territory as bordering with those of Trieste and Koper (Italian Capodistria), but stayed still politically bound to the Patriarchy of Aquileia. From this period are the cathedral and the city hall, the latter having been rebuilt in the last century. Having passed eventually in 1420 under the Republic of Venice, Muggia shared thereafter the fates of the Serenissima.

After the latter's fall in 1797, it became part of the Austrian Empire, under which it developed an important naval consutrction industry which flourished until after World War II.

[edit] Main sights

Muggia provides many evident traces of its Venetian traditions and origin, as showed by the dialect, the gastronomic traditions, the gothic-venetian style of some houses, the devious "calli", the loggias, the ogive arches, the ancient coats of arms on the façades but mostly the main square, a true Venetian "campiello".

Memories of its early ages include an important pre-historic "castelliere" on Mt. Castellier (S. Barbara) and Roman (Archaeological Park of Castrum Muglae) and medieval remains in Muggia Vecchia (Old Muggia), once one of the guarding castles that in the 10th century were built to defend the Istrian border against the invasion of the Hungars.

The castle, destroyed in 1353 by the Triestines, retains several remains of the previous period such as the ruins of the walls, but the most important is the notable little basilica of Santa Maria Assunta (10th-13th century), housing frescoes from the 14th-15th centuries.

[edit] Culture

Among the occurrences characterizing the socio-cultural life of this small city is well worth mentioning the Carnival of Muggia.

The Carnival absorbs much of the population of Muggia engaging them in the construction of allegoric carts articulated and moving in order to better mock the chosen victim and in the realization of gorgeous costumes. During those seven days the city becomes a true open-air theatre offering a continuous entertainment that previsibly climaxes in the great parade on the last Sunday.