Located in the municipality of Aiello del Friuli in the province of Udine, the village of Centa di Joannis is presented with the typical forms of the settlements of the Friuli plain, with houses facing the street and internal courtyard.
Centa di Joannis History
An old fallen house, reinforced at the base by a shoe - "the curate's house", according to the locals - was supposed to be the sacristan's home whose office - which was conferred following election by the community gathered nearby - involved sometimes serious responsibilities as evidenced by several documents, and having to repay the damage caused by possible theft, it seems logical that the sacristan should live near the church to be able to watch, day and night, the church and its properties.
Nearby stands the "canepa" with the "sollaro" (respectively the cellar and the granary) where once the chambers of the Church and the confraternities and the men of the Commune collected and preserved the food that the settlers poured for a tenth of the harvest . The building includes a portico with five brick arches, three of which on the front and two side, the cellar in which, on sturdy slabs, lined the wine barrels and the recipients for the olive oil of the illuminations, ie the collection of oil for church lighting.
The old "Cente" were the heart of the villas and guarded the church that was in the center, the cemetery that surrounded it and the oldest houses that had been there. All around rose a wall from which the name "Centa".
At each plowing, from the surrounding fields emerge fragments of embryos similar to those that in antiquity were used to cover the roofs of houses and other fragments of ancient ceramics, or as occurred in 2006, the site offers new discoveries such as the discovery of a very important medieval necropolis dating back to the ninth century, of which at the moment only a small part has been brought to light.