Istrana

Istrana is a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about west of Treviso. As of 31 July 2025, it had a population of 9,058 and an area of.
The municipality of Istrana contains the frazioni Sala, Pezzan, Ospedaletto, Villanova, the Istrana Air Base.
Istrana borders the following municipalities: Morgano, Paese, Piombino Dese, Trevignano, Vedelago.

History

The oldest finds, which are very numerous, date back to the pre-Roman and Roman periods. One of the most obvious traces, by the way, is the Via Postumia, built in 147 BC by the consul Spurius Postumius Albinus Magnus and which still represents an important road artery that runs in a straight line north of Sala.
The first toponymic references, however, appear from the tenth century: Pezzan and Sala are mentioned in 996, Ospedaletto in 997, Villanova in 1014; Istrana, then, is also remembered even later among the parish churches of the diocese of Treviso.
With the conquest of the Serenissima, the territory was at the center of the interests of the Venetian aristocracy who encouraged agriculture but also local art.
During the First World War, Istrana was in the rear of the Piave front and housed an infirmary, while an airport linked to the hero Francesco Baracca was opened in Sala. Worthy of historical importance is the first air battle of the world aviation that took place over the skies of Istrana on December 26, 1917.
Even during World War II, it suffered bombing and reprisals due to its strategic location.

Monuments and places of interest

Archpriest's Church

The current archpriest church of Istrana, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, dates back to 1653, while the façade was erected in 1824 to a design by the architect Andrea Bon.
With a single nave, it is decorated with elegant baroque stuccoes dating back to the 1700s. The splendid frescoes were painted around 1780 by the Venetian painter Francesco Zugno. The high altar is attributed to Giorgio Massari and preserves two canvases by the painter Amedeo Lorenzi, while an altarpiece of the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, placed on a side altar, is attributed to Palma the Younger.

Villa Lattes

Villa Lattes was built in 1715 to a design by Giorgio Massari, it has a two-storey façade with a central gable loggia, all enriched by elegant cornices and balustrades. On the sides, the two concave barchesse, with the one on the left ending with the noble chapel that contains paintings by Jacopo Amigoni. The villa is surrounded by an elegant English park.
The interior still preserves evidence of the richness of centuries of history: antique furniture, collections and valuables still remain to characterize a real house-museum.

The airport

On 21 November 1981, the airport, where the Treviso Istrana weather station is located, hosted a race between Gilles Villeneuve, driving the Ferrari 126 CK, and Daniele Martinelli at the helm of an Aeritalia F-104S.
On the occasion of the Centenary of the Air Force at the Istrana base on March 28, 2023, the 51st Wing officially opened its doors to those wishing to visit the airport. The 51st Wing, equipped with AMX, AMX-T and F2000 aircraft, in addition to supporting surface forces and attack and reconnaissance operations, is one of the 5 Wings of the Italian Air Force that ensure national air defense and NATO Quick Reaction Alert service.

Climate

Istrana has a humid subtropical climate, similar to the rest of northern Italy.

Demographic evolution

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Foreign ethnicities and minorities

As of December 31, 2024 foreigners residents in the municipality were, i.e. % of the population. The largest groups are shown below:

Istrana is twinned with:

Grenade, Haute-Garonne, France, since 1989
Lapa, Paraná, Brazil, since 2002