The symbol of Habsburg Friuli
Upon the fall of the Patria del Friuli in 1420, Friuli was divided into two distinct parts and remained so until the end of World War I. Aiello, located in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca, was part of Austrian Friuli at the border with Venetian territories and, from 1866, with Italian ones. The population of Eastern Friuli continued to show loyalty and patriotism towards Austria and the Habsburgs even after unification. The Italian repression in the immediate post-war period reinforced these sentiments, so much so that the myth of the Empire still endures today.
The collection of the Museum of Peasant Civilization of Imperial Friuli, with over 16,000 items, is the largest ethnographic collection in the region. It documents life in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca from 1500 to 1918, covering all aspects of work, social, and family life.
Lately, the town has also become well-known as "The town of sundials" due to the several sundials that have been put on the walls of houses and public buildings by a group of enthusiasts: the sundial festival takes place with exhibitions, music and shows on the last Sunday of May.
St. Charles' Festival, which for nearly 200 years has been taking place on the first Sunday after 4th November, is important as well.
