Aviano
| Aviano | |
|---|---|
| Comune | |
| Comune di Aviano | |
 Aviano
|
|
| Coordinates: 46°04′N 12°35′E / 46.067°N 12.583°ECoordinates: 46°04′N 12°35′E / 46.067°N 12.583°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
| Province / Metropolitan city | Pordenone (PN) |
| Frazioni | Villotta, Costa, Giais, Marsure, Piancavallo, Castello di Aviano, San Martino di Campagna |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Stefano Del Cont Bernard (from May 27, 2007) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 113 km2 (44 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 159 m (522 ft) |
| Population (December 31, 2004) | |
| • Total | 8,747 |
| • Density | 77/km2 (200/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Avianesi |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 33081 |
| Dialing code | 0434 |
| Patron saint | St. Zenone |
| Website | Official website |
Aviano (Friulian: Avian), (Davian in Friulian language, Pleif in local dialect) is an Italian village, comune, of 9,270 inhabitants in the province of Pordenone at the foot of the Dolomites mountain range in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy.
Aviano is home to the C.R.O. (Oncological Referral Center) a cancer research centre, one of the few in Italy and reference point for north-east Italy.
Near the town there is also the Piancavallo ski resort.
Although Aviano has been inhabited only since the 10th century AD, evidence of a human presence dates to before the Romans entered the area in 186 BC. Most historians believe that Aviano developed with a commercial center located where present day Aviano is situated and a cultural and defensive center in the castle area. Aviano was a possession of the Patriarchal State of Friuli until 1420, when it came under the influence of the Venetian Republic. Aviano became a part of the Italian State in 1866.
Although the village is located at the foot of the Carnic Prealpi, the municipality extends to an altitude of over 1280 meters above sea level, near the ski resort of Piancavallo and Busa Villotta.
Aviano has a station on the Sacile-Pinzano Railway: the Aviano railway station, which connects the town of Sacile, on the Venice-Udine railway, to the village of Pinzano, on the Gemona of Friuli-Casarsa railway.
Pre-dating the U.S. Air Force, Aviano Air Base was established by Italy in 1911. The base is considered the birthplace of Italian aviation. There has been an American presence at Aviano Air Base since the end of World War II. In 1954 the Italian and American governments signed a joint use agreement and by 1955, HQ United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) had moved its Italian operations from Udine to Aviano. The base went through a period of hosting rotational fighter squadrons. With the declining use of the Italian live fire range, the rotational squadrons became a thing of the past. Aviano became a war reserve material storage base and played a big part in Desert Storm. In 1992, HQ 16th Air Force and the 401st Fighter Wing moved from Torrejon Air Base, Spain to Aviano. The Wing became home to two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 510th FS and the 555th FS. Both squadrons relocated from Ramstein AB in 1994 and redesignated. The wing was redesignated from the 401st Fighter Wing to the 31st Fighter Wing in 1994 as Aviano took on permanently based aircraft for the first time in over 50 years. The base currently performs a NATO mission with close coordination with Italian personnel.
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Wikipedia