Info taken from www.archeocartafvg.it 

The first document concerning Venzone dates back to 923, in which the "clausas de Abincione" are mentioned, already indicating the presence of a customs post. 

The first urban nucleus dates back to the Carolingian period (776-952); in 1077 it became part of the Patriarchate of Aquileia (control of commercial traffic). From the beginning of the 13th century, it was a fief of the lords of Tricano (Arcano) and the lords of Mels, but already towards the end of the century, the town was granted by the patriarch of Aquileia to Count Mainardo of Carinthia.

In 1258 Glizoio di Mels (who had Venzone as a fief) fortified the town with a double wall, preceded by a deep moat.

Under the domination of the Count of Gorizia, it was the subject of bloody disputes due to its great commercial and strategic importance, until it returned to the Aquileian domains, except for a brief period until 1365 during which it was enfeoffed to Albert of Austria and his sons.

The already imposing city fortifications were further strengthened in the Venetian era, especially in 1470, in anticipation of a Turkish invasion, and in the 17th century, with the construction of the fort on the hill of Nave.

The city is a true jewel, as it represents the only testimony of a fortified city from the 1200s in Friuli. Entirely medieval in layout, surrounded by walls made of stones with stone reinforcements, it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1976 and rebuilt through the relocation of recovered stones and the integration of those destroyed.

The mighty circle of walls, with the numerous towers that characterize it, almost all of which have been rebuilt, enclose in a wide irregular hexagon the 14 "insulae" of the ancient inhabited village, extending for 1300 meters and rising on the wide embankment from which they emerge.

Among the three gates, the most beautiful and interesting is the gate of "San Genesio", from 1310.

The monumental complex of the town, declared by the Italian State in 1965 as a national monument of great historical and artistic interest, contains the Cathedral, the Town Hall, the high walls, and the ancient peasant and noble houses.