The town's name refers, in the first part, to the bed of a watercourse, today dried out, while the second part, refers to the nearby town of Gruaro. It is a municipality in the province of Venice, located in north-eastern area of the province, on the border with Friuli Venezia Giulia, in an ideal location with easy access to both the nearby seaside resorts and the ski resorts of the Alps.
The discovery of traces belonging to a sanctuary attest the presence of settlements in the area since the IV century B.C. At the time of Roman colonization, on the banks of the river, of which remain no trace, there were several residential areas. In the Middle Ages, several castles, like Fossalta, were built for defensive purposes and became the Summer residences of the Bishops of Concordia. In the XIII century it was destroyed by the Counts of Gorizia, enemies of the Bishops of Concordia and of Aquileia. Historical documents attest the presence of a vast and well-organized centre. The territory, proclaimed fief was assigned to the Pers; while its most important period of development was that during the domain of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. The municipality was established in 1867. The historical events experienced by the town in successive periods, characterized by the invasion of the French troops and the annexation to the Habsburg Empire, are similar to those of the other localities of the region.

Attractions:
- the Church of San Zeno, founded in 1034 and remodeled several times over the centuries, was finally demolished in the late XIX century. In its place was built a new building on a project of the architects Berchet and Rupolo. Most of the materials were recycled from those used to build the earlier XI century church and of this remain only the apse and the choir, completed prior to the XIX century. Built in Romanesque style, it features three naves, a transept and vault ceilings. Inside are preserved the altars of the old church and a new altar built to the design of Rupolo. Other items were adapted from the medieval building. The bell tower dates back to 1796;
- the forest of Villa Mocenigo in Alvisopoli, a WWF oasis;
- the Municipal Public Library;
- the ancient Oak of Villanova;
- the Garden of Mars and Flora;
- the Museum Ippolito Nievo;
- the Museum of Ethnography.