HISTORY

A very long time ago, the territory where Eraclea now lies was covered by the waters of the Venetian lagoon, with a number of islands emerging from the water. These islands were inhabited long before the arrival of the Romans in 186 B.C., and the most important of them was called "Melidissa".

Foto storica della Piazza e del Municipio

It was here that the inhabitants of Oderzo fled in 638 A.D. to escape the aggression of Rotharius, King of the Lombards. Here they set up the town of "Heraclea", a name which they chose in honor of Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium. By the mid - seventh century A.D., Heraclea had become a rich, powerful, and densely populated town.

Its decline began around the mid-eighth century, when the townspeople moved to Malamocco following bloody battles with Eraclea's ancient rival, "Hequilius" (modern - day Jesolo). By the eleventh century, very few inhabitants were left in Eraclea, which was plagued with malaria, other diseases and famines. In 1728 a church was built on one of the highest spots in the territory, and the village that formed around it was named "Grisolera". It became an idependent municipality in Napoleon's Italian Kindom, only to be divided under Lombardig - Venetian rule, with one part assigned to San Donà di Piave, and the other part to Cavazuccherina. In 1819, Grisolera again became a separate municipality.

Foto storica dei primi bagnanti di Eraclea

The town was destroyed during World War I, but between 1920 and 1940, the Fascists turned this swampland into a vast, fertile plain. In 1950 the name of the town was changed from "Grisolera" -- wich evoked images of misery and poverty -- to the ancient, glorious name of "Eraclea".