Fažana
Fažana
Fasana | |
---|---|
Municipality | |
Fažana Municipality Općina Fažana - Comune di Fasana[1] | |
Location of Fažana municipality in Istria | |
Coordinates: 44°56′N 13°48′E / 44.933°N 13.800°E | |
Country | Croatia |
County | Istria County |
Government | |
• Mayor | Ada Damjanac |
Area | |
• Municipality | 13.6 km2 (5.3 sq mi) |
• Urban | 9.9 km2 (3.8 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[3] | |
• Municipality | 3,463 |
• Density | 250/km2 (660/sq mi) |
• Urban | 1,788 |
• Urban density | 180/km2 (470/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 52212 |
Area code | 052 |
Website | fazana |
Fažana (Croatian pronunciation: [faʒǎna]; Italian: Fasana, Italian pronunciation: [fazaːna]) is a village and a municipality on the southwestern coast of Istria in Croatia. It is a picturesque fishing village. [4]
Name
[edit]Fasana, which in Roman times carried the name of Vasianum and then Phasiana, derives its name from the presence in Roman times of ceramic and terracotta manufactures such as vases, tiles and amphorae.[5] Its name and meaning thereof is also reflected in the symbol of the town, an amphora.[5]
History
[edit]Roman times
[edit]Fasana is a village of Roman origin. Its territory was part of the Roman Empire by 177 BC.[6] It belonged to the Roman colony of Pola, both politically and administratively.[6] During Roman times, Fasana was an important economic center of the Ancient Roman civilization.[6] Its importance during Roman times was due to its manufactures, production of olive oil[6] and later amphorae.[5] The Ancient Roman factory of Fasana, located in the old center of the town, was noted for its production of ceramics and bricks.[6] The production of amphorae started during the latter part of the reign of Augustus, and lasted until the second century AD. In these amphorae were stored the local products, such as grain,[7] salted fish[7] and, most importantly, the Istrian oil and wine, the two most valuable products of the Istrian peninsula during Roman times.[6] The workshop belonged to the local Lecanii family, and its first known owner was praetor urbanus Caius (Gaius) Laecanius Bassus.[6] A striking aspect of the recovered amphorae are the signatures of the workers who worked in the factory.[5]
Its proximity to the sea made fishing an important feature of the town already in Roman times. It was a safe heaven, where Roman mercantile ships could dock, and where it was possible to live, work, and go on vacation.[6][5] Its importance as a patrician holiday town is shown by the finding of many Roman villas in the area.[8] Among them is the so-called Roman Villa of Valbandon, located at 2 kilometers from the center of Fasana.[5] It is a residential complex divided into two groups of buildings.[5] Discovered at the beginning of the 20th century, it features beautiful floors with floral and geometric patterns.[5][7]
Middle Ages
[edit]In the 6th century AD, the Church of Sant'Eliseo was built in Fasana over the foundations of a palace from the Later Roman Empire period. The Later Roman Empire palace, built a century earlier, had been used as a vacation house.[7] The small Church of the Santa Maria del Carmelo was built in the 14th century. It features frescoes from the 15th century.[7]
Also in the 15th century was built by the sea the Church of Santi Cosma e Damiano. It is characterized by Gothic elements and features a 27-meter tall bell tower and Renaissance paintings from the 16th century, including Giorgio Ventura's Ultima Cena from 1598.[9][7]
Geography
[edit]The city is located by the sea, 8 kilometers (5 mi) northwest of Pula.[7] Just before it lie the islands of Brioni (Brijuni).[7]
The territory of Fažana includes, beside the fishing village, the Ronzi valley to the south, the coast of Peroi in the north, and the town's hinterland, consisting of olive groves and vineyards.[6] The town's importance during Roman times was due precisely to its production of olive oil.[6]
Demographics
[edit]According to the 2021 census, its population was 3,463 with 1,788 living in the town proper.[3] It was 3,569 in 2012.
The village of Valbandon is the other settlement in the municipality.
Notable people
[edit]- Mario Carlin (1915–1984), Italian tenor
- Gaius Laecanius Bassus (fl. 32–40 AD), Roman praetor urbanus and consul
- Gaius Laecanius Bassus (fl. 64 AD), Roman consul
References
[edit]- ^ The official site, see also the list of towns and municipalities Archived 2014-03-11 at the Wayback Machine in the Istria County (ref. to [1]) and the narodne-novine list (ref. to [2])
- ^ Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Wikidata Q119585703.
- ^ a b "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
- ^ "ISTRA.HR". www.istra.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2023-04-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Fasana Romana". www.informagiovani-italia.com. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Fasana ai tempi di Roma". www.istra.hr (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Travirka, Antun (2001). Sokota, Zivko (ed.). Istria. Zadar: Forum. p. 88; 95. ISBN 953-179-470-7.
- ^ "Fasana". www.istria-croazia.it. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Chiesa Santi Cosma e Damiamo a Fasana in Istria". www.informagiovani-italia.com. Retrieved 3 May 2023.