The strategic position of the Polcenigo territory and its natural resources have made Polcenigo a suitable place for human settlements since prehistoric times.

The archaeological findings of Palù testify to the presence of a pile-dwelling village, dating back to the Neolithic, which could rely on the abundance of water, plants, and wild animals provided in great quantity by the wet area of Palù and the nearby mountains. Artifacts from the Iron Age (1st-2nd millennium BC) have also revealed the existence of a necropolis at the foot of the Colle di San Floriano, in San Giovanni.

After the foundation of Aquileia (181 BC), the Romans conquered the territories east of the Livenza: coins, fibulae, and terracotta elements have also been found in the archaeological sites of Polcenigo. Between the 5th and 6th centuries AD, with the spread of Christianity, Polcenigo became a significant religious center thanks to the presence of important places of worship, such as the Church of S. Floriano.

In the Middle Ages, when castles were an essential element for the defense of the territory, Polcenigo could boast a complex of fortified buildings, known as ‘’the castle’’ already at the end of the 10th century. Between 1000 and 1100 these buildings and the fief passed to the Lords of Polcenigo, who later became counts.

In 1420 the Polcenigo territories fell under the dominion of the Serenissima Republic of Venice and in 1499 they were invaded by the Turks who reduced Polcenigo to a heap of ruins.