Ippolito Nievo Museum It is a small but interesting collection of Nievo's memorabilia. The museum was greatly desired by Stanislao Nievo, Ippolito's son who was also a writer, among other things, of the "Prato in fond al mare". The area around Portogruaro, and Portogruaro too, are the sitting of the "Confessioni di un italiano" Ippolito Nievo's novel, a cornestone of 18th century Italian literature. The protagonist of this event, Carlino Altoviti, and la Pisana, lived in the castle of Fratta, a locality near Fossalta. Fossalta was the estination of the evening works of the countess. The county road which connected the two localities, exist today too. It is different from usual road that can be used by cars and forms nowadays a wonderful itinerary. The castle which Nievo spoke about, doesn't exist anymorethe register of the castle, which is preserved in the parish archives of Fossalta, the building dates back to 1265. It belonged to the Fossalta Family then of the Squarras from Portogruaro. When Norbia, in the 16th century got married, the Valvason Family was the new owner. It was demolished at the end of the 16th century for conflicts between the Valvasons and the Bishop. The napoleonic land office reports the castle has seen in ruins. Today there is only a little hill in afformed field to indicate the place were the castle stood. It was said that the museum had been wanted by Stanislao Nievo to expose his uncles memorabilia when the Coloredo's Castle of Montalbano, where they were linked, was destroied by the earthquake which struck Friuli in 1976 (Nievo never saw the Fratta Castle, for the noble was inspired by the one of Coloredo). It was opened in 1984. The material is displayed in two rooms, there are undreds of pieces among which thtere is a trunk and some clothes belongin to Nievo. There is a reconstuction of the sea bed wanted by Stanislao has Ippolito died on the stream-boat "Ercole". The main part of the material (about a thousand pieces) is bibliographic and documents. There are all the editions of the Confessioni, from the first of the last century to those published in our time; there are written works by Nievo before this masterpiece. Ther is a copy of the Caffè, with the writer's signature. In addition there is a wide collection of magazine clippings which make Fossalta's centre the most interesting and up-to-date istitute of Nievo's studies. It is frequented by Italian and foreign students. The conservatives dreamers is to move the Fratta museum to an old farm house, near the area where the castle stood; or into a wing of "Villa di Alvisopoli", the agricoltural and illuminist centre wanted by Alvise IV Mocenigo in the last years of the 7th century, and which is widely cited in Ippolito Nievo's work.