PORDENONE AND ITS ENVIRONS

Historical notes
settlements of different ages have been found in several places: Paleolithic (Sequals, Piancavallo, Grotte di Pradis, etc.), Neolithic (the pile dwelling Palu di Livenza), the Iron Age (S. Vito, Montereale Valcellina, Palse, etc.). Important remains of the Roman period can be found in this area too, especially at Torre di Pordenone. The abbey at Sesto al Reghena dates from the 8th century, therefore the Lombard period. From 1077 to 1420 almost the whole area, as the rest of Friuli, remained temporarily under the domination of the patriarchs of Aquileia. The exceptiom together with some other small regions, was Pordenone, which belonged to the German landed gentry from the first half of the 13th century. From 1278 it was under the rule of the Hapsburgs who granted their subjects a number of rights and privileges in order to gain favour with them. The first of these charters dates from 1291 and was enlarged upon in 1438.

Pordenone was already inhabited before the 10th century, which is attested to by the necropolis that was recently brought to light under the Palazzo Ricchieri. In the 12th century the city started significant development of the commercial activities of the port on the river Noncello from which it gets its name (Por tus Naonis) and from which. across the rivers Meduna and Livenza the Adriatic sea and Venice can be reached. In the same period the surrounding areas were also developed Prata, Porcia, Spilimbergo, Maniago, Sacile, San Vito al Tagliamento, Polce nigo, Aviano, Valvasone. Hapsburg's Pordenone and Castelnovo were the only two cities not conquered by Venice in 1420. The latter remained in possession of the count of Gorizia until they both came under the rule of Serenissima in 1508. The city of Noncello, on the other hand, was given to condottiere Bartolomeo d 'Alviano, who became its feudal lord but with the passing of the last surviving member of his family, the city came under Venetian administration in 1539.

In 1797, the right bank of Tagliamento, which was under the Napoleonic rule, and the rest of the territory, which was then the Republic of Venice, was ceded to the Austrians. It remained in their possession, except for the period 1806-1813 in which it was under Italic domination, until 1866 when it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. When the port trade stopped at the begin ning of the 19th century, many industries started to flourish in Pordenone, making a marked impression on the development of the city. Among the most thriving was certainly the Galvani pottery, which finished trading under its prestigious trade name only a few years ago, and cotton mills, which em ployed several thousand workers. After World War II, when the textile industry went into recessiom Pordenone became prosperous on account of domestic appliance industry, still one of the best in Europe. There are also small and medium-sized indu stries in the city's neighbouring areas among which the most important are the cutlery of Maniago and the furniture industry in Brugnera, Prata and Pasiano. There are also a number of handicraft activities in all parts of the region. In 1968 Pordenone became an administrative centre for a province of 51 municipalities with 270 thousand inhabitants.

Visiting itinerary
The old city centre of Pordenone, also known as Contrada Maggiore, was developed mostly along the street Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The Town hall, in its original form, was of Gothic construction, and was built between 1291 and 1395. The loggia with the clock and the spires designed by Pomponio Amalteo were added in the 16th century. Near the town hall there is St. Mark's cathedral, a combination of Romanesque and Gothic styles, completed between the end of the 14th and the middle of the 15th century. Inside the cathedral, which underwent other changes both in the 1700s and in this century, there are works of art of great interest, among which the famous Madonna della Misericordia (Mother of Mercy) by Giovanni Antonio De Sacchis, who was known as "Il Pordenone" (1484-1539), the works of Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo, Fogolino, Amalteo, Tintoretto, Pilacorte (the main portal, the baptismal font, an the holy water stoup), as well as famous frescoes of the chapel Mantica painted by Giovanni Maria Zaffoni, who was known as Calderari. The magnificently tall bell tower of St. Mark's (72 metres) was built as far as the belfry between 1291 and 1347 while the spire was completed in the 16th century. The Renaissance Palazzo Ricchieri, that houses the Municipal Art Gallery, includes, among other things, works of Pordenone, Savoldo, Padovanino, Politi, Michelangelo Grigoletti (a Pordenonian and one of the best portrait painters of the 19th century), collections of wood carvings and Gothic gold objects.

A number of gargoyles project from the 17th century facade of the Venetian Palazzo Gregoris. Also worth a visit is the 13th century Palazzo dei Capitani with its beautiful frescoes; Impressive palaces Montereale-Mantica and Cattaneo. Palazzo Popaite (Policreti) with statues in the courtyard and the ruins of a small gate of the city wall. One can reach the city walls via the Vicolo delle Mura (Wall alley), which has been beautifully restored. Nearby one can also see the ex-monastery of St. Francis with its church and cloister where remarkable frescoes of the 15th century have been uncovered: Palazzo Amalteo, which houses the Civic Science Mu seum: the nearby castle built in 1274 which. once a residence of a representative of the Habsburg's empire, has today been reduced to a prison: the church known as the church of Christ (St. Maria degli Angeli) with the paintings from the second half of the 14th century and the portal by Pilacorte. A short distance from the Contrada Maggiore, on the other side of the river Noncello, which flows some hundred metres from St. Mark's cathedral, there is the 16th century octagonal church of SS. Trinita (The Holy Trinity), which contains valuable frescoes by Calderari and other painters.

Also renowned are the buildings situated in Corso Garibaldi (Garibaldi Street), another historically important street in Pordenone whose construction began in the 17th century, Palazzo Badini with a charming Madonnina (a statuette of Our Lady) in a corner; the Palazzo de'Spelladi (today known as Palazzo Porcia), which offered hospitality to many sovereigns; the palaces Pera and Sbrojavacca, which are soon to become the offices of the borough council. Close by stands St. George's church with its unusual tower resembling a Doric pillar. In other parts of the city we can find an ancient castle belonging to the counts of Ragogna a Torre, soon to become an archeology museum; the Roman remains that have been discovered nearby; the church of Roraigrande, incorporating an old chapel with frescoes painted by Pordenone; a parish church at Villanova with frescoes also by Pordenone and with an altar by Pilacorte (1520). Villanova is the place where the famous canonised Odorico da Pordenone, who visited China in the 14th century (soon after Marco Polo) is said to have been born. Also worth mentioning are the old cotton mills, an example of ancient industrial architecture, located on the loop of the Noncello river, if one enters the city centre from the direction of Borgomeduna. Villa Galvani, now an art exhibition centre, is situated nearby, in a large park.

Porcia
The ancient castle of the counts of Porcia (the tower dates back to the 11th century) still characterises the centre which was once enclosed by the walls. Of considerable interest are the clock tower (13th century), the municipal loggia (1555), St. Mary's church (14th and 16th centuries) the Renaissance feudal palace, St. George s church with the splendid 17th century inlaid chancel.and the bell-tower (1488-1555), the only one in Friuli with the twin column where one reaches the belfry not by means of stairs but up an incline of forty six ramps. The winner of the traditional donkey race, which takes place on 15th August, also makes this ascent. Worthy of note are the 17th century Villa Correr Dolfin in Roraipiccolo and the church of St.Agnese with a valuable fresco painted by Pomponio Amalteo.

Spilimbergo
The castle and the cathedral are the most important monuments of this town, which from the 12th century was in possession of the feudal family Spengenberg from which it got its name. The castle, dominating the large valley of the river Tagliamento, is an imposing ensemble of buildings from different ages, among the most notable being the 15th century palace with frescoes attributed to Andrea Bellunello. The Gothic cathedral, which was started in 1284 and completed by 1359, has an interesting cycle of 14th century frescoes, a church organ with doors showing paintings by Giovanni Antonio da Pordenone, and different sculptures by Pilacorte. Very famous in Spilimbergo is the school of Friuli mosaicists with a permanent exhibition of their work. In the areas surrounding the city, in addition to the villa Savorgnan of Lestans (Sequals), the following must be noted for their importance: frescoes by Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo in the small church of St. Antony at Barbeano and in the parish church in Provesano: frescoes by Pomponio Amalteo at Gaio and especially those painted by Pordenone found at Vacile, Travesio, Pinzano, and Valeriano, which also has the famous Nativity of St. Maria dei Battuti

Sacile
Sacile is spread over two islands on the river Livenza. It was in possession of the patriarchs of Aquileia. In 1190 emperor Federico Barba rossa allowed the inhabitants to own and sell their goods and to put together their own charter (the oldest in Friuli). The pleasant harmony of the structure of the historic city centre is at tributed to the Venetian domination. It was be cause of these characteristics that the city be came known as the Giardino della Serenissima (the Garden of the Serenissima). The cathedral of St. Nicholas, rebuilt in 1474, contains the works of art of Francesco Bassano, Palma il Giovane and Pino Casarini (1897-1972), who also carved the bronze panels on the door. Of considerable interest are the numerous 16th century buildings, among which, facing river Livenza, is the small hexagonal church of the Madonna della Pieta. the municipal loggia; palaces Carli and Ettoreo and Palazzo Flangini-Biglia with its beautiful frescoed gallery. In Sacile, on the first Sunday after 15th August, a "Sagra dei osei'' (a bird show) has been held for more than 700 years. It is certainly the earliest of its kind in Italy. In the neighbouring areas the places worth visiting are the historic centre of Polcenigo, the park of San Floriano and the sources of the rivers Livenza and Gorgazzo. A little further on, in Castel d'Aviano, there are churches of SS Gregory and Juliana with frescoes painted by Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo (in the latter one can also admire frescoes dating back to the 14th century), and in Brugnera, in a park that stretches over 45 acres, there is villa Varda (rebuilt in the 19th century), now used as a centre for important exhibitions.