Island of Grado Italy

Gold Island or Sun Island… it is impossible to describe Grado, its fascinating nature, its history, its traditions, with simple words.
The town of Grado Italy has Roman origin (Grado comes from gradus, i.e. port of call): it was the chief of its district where boats sailing along the Natissa stopped on their way to the ancient town of Aquileia.
It became a refuge for people fleeing from Attila´s hordes in 452;  in 568, the Lombards ´ invasion lead the bishop of Aquileia, Paolino, to move here the Episcopal center.
Elia, his successor, completed the building of the cathedral and embellished the small town with several churches, strengthening the patriarch´s position and Grado´s importance, but causing irreconcilable differences with Aquileia.

History of Grado Italy
Only in 1180 the conflict between Grado and Aquileia will be sorted out.
In the Middle Ages, new walls were added to include early Christian monuments renovated and rebuilt by the bishop Elia.
Grado Italy ended up being the religious capital of an area going from the Istrian peninsula to Chioggia, and his economy, trade and arts boomed.
However, the suppression of the patriarchate in the 15th century and Venice´s growing power stripped Grado Italy of its old splendour and left it with the only privilege to have a Count and a Council made up of local lords.
Grado fell into the hands of the Austrians after the Treaty of Campoformio in 1797 and remained almost uninterruptedly so till 1918, when it was annexed to Italy.
Today Grado Italy is a well-equipped seaside and health resort, where fishing thrives: it owes its fame to its superb beaches, its charming landscape, its places of worship and the dialectal poems by the great late Biagio Marin.