Built in the first decade of the sixteenth century at the behest of the Governor of the Feudo of Cordignano, the Palazzo del Dazio was erected near the ancient bridge over the Meschio river at Ponte della Muda (coordinates: 45.94527910733177, 12.43992720658075). The historic river village was administered by the noble Venetian family of the Rangoni di Spilamberto from the mid-15th century until 1763, when the Mocenigo family acquired control of the feudo.
One of the most representative buildings in the municipality of Cordignano, the Palazzo del Dazio stands out for a majestic portico marked by broad rib vaults supported by pillars, enhanced by the Rangoni family coat of arms.
The history of the Palazzo del Dazio is linked to the presence of an important road artery of Roman origin, known since the Early Middle Ages as the Strada Regia, which connected the city of Venice with Udine and northern Europe.
The Renaissance building housed the officials assigned to inspect goods transported to and from Venice and to collect the related customs duty. The palace was also home to the Cavalieri Dei Daciari del Sal Di Treviso, who worked with the tax collectors to combat the illicit trade in salt in the more southerly territories crossed by the Livenza river.
The administrative reforms introduced by Napoleon in 1806 led to the suppression of the feudal jurisdictions, and the Palazzo del Dazio consequently became obsolete.
The place name Ponte della Muda derives from the bridge, built over the ancient course of the river, beside which the Palazzo del Dazio had been built.
A term rooted in the language of Northern Italy since the Middle Ages, the word Muda, originally Muta, meant precisely tax, duty or toll. Moreover, the muda, that is, the changing of horses, was also carried out on site.
The diversion of the course of the Meschio, made necessary in the 1930s for safety reasons, led to the demolition of the old bridge.
Thanks to Gian Marco Mutton for his kind collaboration.
G. M. Mutton, Ponte della Muda: metamorfosi di un paese: documenti e testimonianze, Volume I, pp. 27 – 34, Vittorio Veneto, 2013.
