EXPERIENCE THE CITY OF PORDENONE
Coming to Music in Village is also the perfect opportunity to get to know our city, Pordenone! You can stroll through the historic centre admiring the historical buildings and churches, be surrounded by nature in the various parks, or treat yourself to a visit to one or more exhibitions or museums.
THE HISTORIC CENTRE AND BUILDINGS
As soon as you arrive in the city for the festival, take a stroll through the centre, which is full of historic buildings and shops.
Arriving from Parco IV Novembre, proceed towards Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, cross the entire Contrada Maggiore and you will understand why Pordenone is also called Urbs Picta: in fact, there are numerous frescoed palaces, which tell the story of the noble families who lived there.
Proceeding along the corso you can admire the wonderful façades of the palaces from the outside, here are some of the most important ones:
Town Hall
Originally called Lozza, it was probably built at the end of the 13th century (1291 is the supposed year), in the oldest and highest part of the town, in close relation to the Cathedral and the river port on the Noncello River. The original structure, made entirely of brick, with a trapezoidal plan, consisted of a lower Loggia, open on three sides with three pointed arches on the façade and two on the sides, and a hall on the upper level. The Loggia was used for the administration of justice and official meetings.
Palazzo Montereale Mantica
Hosts the Chamber of Commerce and is one of the most beautiful palaces in Contrada Maggiore.
Palazzo Varmo-Pomo or Casa dei Capitani
It is an example of a medieval house, with its exterior walls decorated with polychrome geometric motifs, similar to tapestries, on which stand three large shield-shaped coats of arms, the last of which belongs to the nobles of San Daniele di Varmo.
Palazzo Tinti
Built in a small space and developed in height, is a testimony to Baroque architecture in Pordenone, with a large portico and a façade divided into three parts, a typical Venetian Renaissance custom.
Casa Corinaldesi
A building consisting of two bodies: a typical 14th-century Gothic construction, possibly in Romanesque style, incorporated into the later 17th-century structure. On the façade is the coat of arms with the colours of the dominant house. It is one of the rare buildings that still bear the old Venetian or parish numbering; in the portico on the left, the number 405 can be read.
Palazzo De Rubeis
A building completely frescoed with decorations simulating a tapestry with geometric motifs. On the hanging arches, between the columns, a bestiary of fantastic animals alternating with human effigies is depicted.
Casa Simoni
A 14th-century two-storey structure with Gothic windows, single lancet windows with three-lobed arches and frescoes: the coat of arms of Pordenone, suggesting state ownership of the building, mock brick decorations and two bands of flowers and fruit.
Palazzo Baschiera
A Liberty-style building attributed to the architect Augusto Mior.
When you reach the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, you can make a stop in Piazza XX Settembre, where you will also find: Piazza XX Settembre, dove si trova anche:
la Casa Del Mutilato
A monument built on the initiative of the National Association of the Disabled and Invalids of War in the 1930s. Near the War Memorial, it bears on its façade a Latin quotation from the fifth book of Virgil's Aeneid: "Let us go where destiny drives and repels, whatever happens every misfortune must be overcome".
il The Teatro Verdi
Inaugurated in May 2005, is a building of contemporary beauty expressed through soft and dynamic forms.
You can then continue on to Corso Garibaldi, the other main street in the historic centre, also lined with historic buildings, among which the most prominent are: Corso Garibaldi, l’altra principale via del centro storico, costeggiata anch’essa da palazzi storici, tra cui spiccano:
Palazzo Badini
Owned by the municipality, it has a large frescoed hall and is home to the Cinemazero Media Library, the Pordenonelegge Foundation and the FVG Promoturismo Tourist Office.
Palazzo Loredan – Porcia
A Venetian-style building with austere façades without any decorative pictorial devices. The palace, now belonging to the Counts of Porcia, dates back to the 16th century, but was converted into a noble residence in the early 18th century.
Palazzo de’ Spelladi – Porcia
It has an inscription on the façade made by the Spelladi nobles, recalling that in 1852 Franz Joseph I Emperor of Austria was their guest in the palace.
Palazzo Dolfin – Porcia
The wrought iron window above the entrance bears the fish-symbol of the patrician family Delfino (in Venetian Dolfin).
Palazzo Pera – Marchi
Over time it has incorporated a series of pre-existing buildings from the end of the 15th century. It has a façade with frescoed decorations, some of which are fake bricks, and a plaque commemorating that in 1825 Emperor Francis I of Austria, his consort and the viceroy were guests of the former podestà Luigi Pera. Today it is the seat of the Province of Pordenone.
Palazzo Sbrojavacca
With ancient frescoes attributed to Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo depicting frames and floral decorations, faces and clothing.
Marone House - Da Ros
Its façade is decorated with stucco and lime bas-reliefs with geometric motifs, plant friezes and figures typical of the artistic tradition developed by Giovanni da Udine, who is considered the inventor of grotesque decorations.
Returning in the direction of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, other buildings can be admired in the nearby Piazza della Motta: Piazza della Motta si possono ammirare altri palazzi come:
Palazzo del Monte dei Pegni
An 18th-century building that today houses the Civic Library.
Palazzo Galvani – Amman
Dating back to the eighteenth century, its ground floor houses nineteenth-century paintings of Pordenone landscapes.
Palazzo Amalteo
Today it houses the "Silvia Zenari" Natural History Civic Museum.
Palazzo Prata – Ferro
Of the 16th century, opposite Palazzo Amalteo.
Mantica Tomadini Palace
It has interesting pictorial decorations and a stone balcony attributed to Pilacore, completed with small sculptures.
The Former Convent of St Francis
It preserves valuable artwork. Since it was suppressed as a church and convent, its spaces have been used for various activities. Conferences, concerts and shows are currently organised inside, enhanced by the atmosphere created by the cloister and the church's excellent acoustics.
Just slightly out of the centre, along Viale Dante you will find: Viale Dante si trova:
Villa Galvani
with its marvellous 'English-style' garden that preserves many tree species including holm oaks, Atlas cedars and magnolias. Galvani Park also houses the Museo Itinerario della Rosa Antica (Museum Itinerary of the Ancient Rose), which winds around a small lake. And for fans, did you know that this villa houses the Paff, the comics museum, with also temporary exhibitions, the only one of its kind in Italy.
Altri palazzi Other notable buildings are:
Palazzo Popaite – Torriani Policreti
Made up of two parts, the one on the right, dating back to the 18th century, on whose façade there is a fresco with the coats of arms of two families, the crescent moons of the Popaites and the 'talking' tower of the Torriani, and the one on the left, dating back to the 14th century, with frescoes in mock brickwork, two coats of arms and which still retains traces of the original windows.
Palazzo Cortona – Ovio – Floreano
Its façade is decorated with illusionistic frescoes and phytomorphic motifs. Three stone capitals sculpted with crests and flowers are preserved in the portico, while the pillar on the right has a fresco with a putto head.
Palazzo Bisol
It has a façade that was treated in marmorino in the 18th century, but which concealed underlying fresco decorations dating back to the 15th century. Thanks to restoration, some emblems of the Kingdom of Hungary, Austria and the Lords of Gorizia are clearly visible. There are many coats of arms on the façade, which are difficult to explain.
Palazzo Ragagnin – Falcomer
It has a façade with frescoed decorations dating back to different periods, such as the portion of a coat of arms depicting a rampant lion and under an arch with mock brickwork decorations, datable to between the 14th and 15th centuries, or the coat of arms of the House of Austria, between two round-arched windows, dating back to the 14th-15th centuries.
Palazzo Mantica – Cattaneo
Resulting from the union of two bodies built between the 14th and 15th centuries. On the façade is a very perished scene of Milone torn apart by a lion. The work may belong to Antonio Sacchiense, grandson of the great Pordenone. In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his way to the battles in Friuli, was hosted here for one night.
Palazzo Rorario – Spelladi – Silvestri
Its original structure dates back to the early 14th century. Various owners of the palace followed one another: during the Renaissance it belonged to the Rorario nobles, diplomats and men of letters, and in the 18th century it passed to the Spelladi (one of Pordenone's oldest families) who provided accommodation for Pordenone's official guests.
Falcomer Palace
It is composed of two buildings: the smaller, low-rise building is configured in three modules dating back to the 14th-15th centuries; the one next to it, two storeys high with a mezzanine, follows an elegant Renaissance layout.
Palazzo Ricchieri
Originally built in the 14th-15th century, since 1970 it has housed the Museo Civico d'Arte according to the intention of Count Lucio Ernesto Ricchieri of Sedrano, who left it to the city upon his death for cultural purposes.
It is one of the oldest buildings in the town: it has undergone several transformations over the centuries, from tower house to noble residence, which are the stylistic features of its façades. One of the most recent restorations has brought to light the fashions that characterised it.
E’ uno degli edifici più antichi della città: ha subito diverse trasformazioni nei secoli, da casa-torre a dimora nobiliare, che rappresentano la cifra stilistica delle facciate. Uno degli ultimi restauri ha permesso di portare alla luce gli esiti delle mode che lo hanno visto protagonista.
Palazzo Polacco – Barbarich – Scaramuzza
Of 14th-century origin, it retains the architectural appearance that the 16th-century renovation gave it.
The façade features frescoes of friezes with floral motifs and racemes crowning the surface decorated with mock brickwork, a typical technique of the Middle Ages.
Brunetta Palace
Two shields are visible on its façade: one with the colours of the city, the other possibly belonging to the rulers of Hungary. Thanks to restorations, a splendid wall covering close to the decorations from the second half of the 15th century is now visible, reminiscent of heraldic parade fabrics.
Palazzo Crescendolo – Milani
Originally belonging to the Crescendolo family, one of the first Pordenone families ennobled in 1447 by Duke Albert of Habsburg, which had been extinct for centuries, it was later acquired by the Milani, a family of merchants. Restoration work has rediscovered the little tower and the decorations on the façade.
Casa del Pordenone
Near the entrance to the 'piazza di sotto', is the historic home of Giovanni Antonio De Sacchis, known as Il Pordenone, Friuli's greatest Renaissance painter. The palace is the result of various epochs, from the 14th to the 17th century, remodelled in the 16th century.
Palazzo Varaschini – Domenichini
Dating back to the Renaissance period, on whose façade on the left is visible the ancient split coat of arms of the Domenichini family and the fresco of Hercules helping Atlas rule the world, a work attributed to Pordenone, while on the right is a restored Madonna and Child.
Palazzo Rosittis
Medieval, with a wide doorway bearing the inscription 'FRANCiscus-DE-ROSITTIS-METHUNAE-CAPITANEUS-MDLVII'. The frescoes date back to different periods and are in several overlapping layers, some of which can be dated to the late 14th or early 15th century. The older ones are distinguished by their red-orange tone.
Bernardi House
Consisting of two buildings from the early 15th century that were raised in the late 19th century. Thanks to restoration work, polychrome paintings and frescoes from the 14th century, a heraldic shield, possibly the civic coat of arms, and the banded coat of arms of Austria are visible.
Other places of interest in the city
Biblioteca Civica di Pordenone - Former Dominican Convent, built at the end of the 18th century outside the city walls on a rise surrounded by resurgence waters and buildings for agricultural use, dwellings and the so-called 'peschiera', an artificial lake. In 2010 it was restored and converted into the city's new multimedia library.
—
Ex Fiera or Casa dei Balilla, a building designed by Scoccimarro in 1933 and built in a large open space for periodic gatherings.
The structure is influenced by the rationalist period and has two side wings similar to the aviation model. The building was modified in 1962, removing the lictor columns and the four statues, Faith, Courage, Valour and Fertility, from the front to be harmonised with the Trade Fair building and in 1988 to adapt it to sports and association use.
—
Monument to the Fallen in Ellero square, designed and built in 1925 by the artist Aurelio Mistruzzi. The sculptural group is formed by 'Italy that welcomes under its shield the heroes who sacrificed themselves to offer it Victory'. It was inaugurated in 1929 in the presence of Prince Umberto di Savoia and Italo Balbo.
—
Vicolo delle Mura, a narrow street close to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II where it is possible to observe a stretch of the ancient walls that surrounded the medieval town.
—
Pordenone Castle, appearing in documents from 1276, built by Philip Ulrich of Carinthia, Bishop of Salzburg, it housed Hapsburg captains at first and then Venetian captains, and during the subsequent Austrian domination, it was converted into a prison, a function it still retains today.
—
Torre Castle, built in the Middle Ages on the site of the Roman villa complex. The oldest part of the fortification is the square-based tower, with massive walls, built perhaps in the second half of the 13th century by the Patriarch of Aquileia, who gave it to the lords of Prata to manage.
—
In the early 2000s it was restored and since 2006 it has been the home of the Archaeological Museum of Western Friuli.
Click here for a list of everything there is to see in Pordenone and its places of interest
For a complete list of Pordenone's palaces and information on their history:
• or here for other palaces
here for a suggested itinerary through the old town centre
CHURCHES
Pordenone also has many interesting churches, belonging to different periods and architectural styles, which preserve frescoes and works of art by various artists.
—
St Mark's Cathedral, the city's main church, is a Romanesque-Gothic building. It houses wonderful frescoes and an altarpiece by Giovanni Antonio De' Sacchis, better known as Il Pordenone. Also noteworthy are the stoup and the baptismal font, works by Pilacorte.
—
Chiesa di San Giorgio, whose primitive oratory dates back to 1347, later enlarged in 1625 and 1792 on the initiative of Don Lorenzo Grigoletti (uncle of the painter Michelangelo). In 1873, the neoclassical façade designed by Giobatta Bassi from Pordenone was completed and it was consecrated. The church contains numerous works of art inside, such as the large altarpiece dedicated to St George by Pordenone painter Gasparo Narvesa, the altarpiece of St Anne and that of St Lucy by Michelangelo Grigoletti and the altarpiece of St Anthony by Pio Rossi, the frescoes with scenes of the Annunciation and other depictions of saints and angels by Tiburzio Donadon. During World War II, a bomb grazed the bell tower and broke through the roof. After being repaired, the church was inaugurated at Christmas 1975, but the 1976 earthquake caused further damage to its structure.
—
Chiesa di Santa Maria Degli Angeli, also known as the Church of Christ because of the 15th century carved and polychrome crucifix by Giovanni Teutonico, which stands on the high altar and was recently restored. The building dates back to the 14th century and served as a chapel to the nearby hospice dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli. It preserves numerous 14th-century frescoes by different artists and others from the early 16th century. The entrance portal, carved in Istrian stone, was the work of Pilacorte in 1510.
—
Chiesa della Santissima Trinità (Church of the Holy Trinity), a church that originated in connection with the congregation of the same name dedicated to charitable works and the redemption of prisoners. It was designed by Ippolito Marone, a priest of the congregation, notary and architect, probably on the remains of a pre-existing 15th-century oratory, of which some traces remain in the form of a fresco in the lower left-hand area of the presbytery. The decoration of the right chapel is by Pomponio Amalteo, while that on the left is attributed to Gerolamo del Zocco.
—
Chiesa della Santissima Trinità, chiesa che nasce legata all’omonima congregazione dedita alle opere assistenziali, alla redenzione e riscatto dei prigionieri. Fu progettata da Ippolito Marone, sacerdote della congregazione, notaio e architetto, probabilmente sui resti di un preesistente oratorio del ‘400 di cui rimane qualche traccia ad affresco nella zona inferiore sinistra del presbiterio. La decorazione della cappella destra è di Pomponio Amalteo ,mentre quella di sinistra è attribuita a Gerolamo del Zocco.
—
Chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie, initially erected in 1626 on the site of an apparition of the Madonna, which attracted many worshippers and offerings that made the construction possible, it was rebuilt larger in the 19th century and has a style that oscillates between neo-Gothic and eclectic.
–
Chiesa dei Santi Ilario e Taziano in Torre, a 19th-century building that stands on a pre-existing one, documented from the 7th century. It was one of the first parish churches in the Diocese of Concordia and inside, the high altar houses an altarpiece by Pordenone.
—
Chiesa dei SS Ruperto e Leonardo in the Vallenoncello area
—
Chiesa di Sant'Ulderico in the hamlet of Villanova
—
Chiesa del Sacro Cuore (Church of the Sacred Heart)
—
Chiesa di San Lorenzo (Church of Saint Lawrence)
PARKS
There are numerous parks in Pordenone where you can stroll through the greenery:
Querini Park
IV Novembre Park
Seminario Park
Galvani Park
Torre Castle Park
San Valentino Park
San Carlo Park
Cimolai Park
Martiri delle Foibe Park - Laghetti di Rorai
Reghena Park
Largo Cervignano Park
John Lennon Park
Rainbow Park
Donadon Park
Baden Powell Park
Adam and Eve Bridge Ponte di Adamo ed Eva
More information on parks in Pordenone here qui
MUSEUMS, EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
These days you can enjoy visiting museums or current exhibitions in Pordenone:
Museo Civico D’Arte a Palazzo Ricchieri
The Civic Art Museum is set up inside Palazzo Ricchieri, an aristocratic residence with fresco decorations and coffered wooden ceilings. From the second floor begins the tour in which you can admire the oldest collections of wooden and stone sculptures, wall frescoes from the late 14th century, 15th-century works by Tolmezzo carvers (Domenico and Giovanni Mioni), some by Giovanni Antonio de Sacchis, known as Pordenone, and artistic evidence up to the end of the 16th century. On the second floor the itinerary continues with works from the 17th and 18th centuries and some works by Pordenone painter Michelangelo Grigoletti.
📍 Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 51
Thursday through Sunday
⏰ Dalle 15:00 alle 19:00
Full € 3.00, reduced € 1.00, free with FVG Card
ℹ️ More information: HERE
Paff - International Museum Of Comic Art
The permanent exhibition dedicated to comics on the second floor of Villa Galvani, is a journey to be experienced in an active and experiential way, divided into twenty sections each dedicated to a specific format, from the Sunday pages of the late 1800s to the more popular formats that have developed over the years and in cultures around the world such as manga, the comic book, bande dessinée to the graphic novel. Original plates by the most famous comic book artists of all time, sketches, script sheets, historical and rare publications, objects, stage costumes used in films based on comic books, set designs, and films from all over the world can be seen. The Museum also hosts temporary exhibitions.
Il Museo ospita anche due mostre temporanee: Shaun the Sheep and Friends e Strip Art.
📍 PAFF – International Museum of Comic Art, Viale Dante, 33
📆 Dal martedì alla domenica
⏰ Dalle 10.00 alle 20.00
Full €11.00, reduced €8.00, concessionary (handicapped) €4.00, free with FVG Card
ℹ️ More information: HERE
Museum Itinerary of the Ancient Rose
The Galvani Park rose garden, a historical-educational museum route that winds around the pond, aims to extend the love of roses and their cultivation, teach how to recognize their characteristics, history and botanical connections. The park preserves 185 varieties of roses belonging to about 40 different species.
📍 Parco Galvani, Viale Dante, 33
Always open
No ticket
ℹ️ More information: HERE
Silvia Zenari Civic Museum of Natural History
Based in the 16th-century Palazzo Amalteo, it preserves naturalistic collections. Welcoming visitors is a large reconstruction of a woolly mammoth, who then continue the tour captivated by the beauty of nature and the multiformity of its expressions, functions, forms and colors. There is a section, free of barriers to encourage close encounters, dedicated to the animal world with insects, birds and mammals, snow-white skeletons, exotic birds and colorful butterflies, and another to minerals, crystals and gems of different origins and textures.
📍 Via della Motta, 16
Thursday and Friday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 3 p.m.-7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m.-7 p.m.
Full 3.00 €, reduced 1.00 €, free with FVG Card
ℹ️ More information: HERE
Harry Bertoia Gallery
The Palazzo Spelladi exhibition venue named after Harry Bertoia (Arieto Bertoia), born in 1915 a few miles from Pordenone, who left the city in 1930 to move to America with his father and brother. He is best known for designing the famous Diamond, an iron rod chair-sculpture, a classic in all design history books. The gallery hosts temporary exhibitions.
📍 Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 60
Thursday through Sunday
⏰ Dalle 15.00 alle 19.00
Full 5.00 €, reduced 3.00 €, free with FVG Card
ℹ️ More information: HERE
Science Centre Immaginario Scientifico
This is an interactive and experimental science museum located inside a striking industrial archaeology building that has been recovered and repurposed as a museum: the Dye Works of the former Torre Cotton Mill. The museum includes engaging interactive paths that allow visitors of all ages to engage with science as protagonists.
📍 Via Vittorio Veneto, 31 (loc. Torre)
📆 Domenica
⏰ Dalle 10.00 alle 18.00
Full 6.00 €, reduced 4.00 €, free with FVG Card
ℹ️ More information: HERE
Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art
Houses sculptures, frescoes, paintings, drawings, prints, textiles and furnishings of a religious nature, of local provenance, dating from the 7th to the 20th centuries.
It is subdivided into sections, according to an order by subject and by destination, its defining element being the sacred in its various artistic forms over the centuries. Noteworthy are works by Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo, Martini, Calderari, Francesco Guardi, Alvise Casella and Pomponio Amalteo.
📍 Via Revedole, 1
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Friday: 4-6:30 p.m.
Free admission
ℹ️ More information: HERE
Pordenone Archaeological Museum
It is housed in Torre Castle and preserves artifacts dating from the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, Iron Age and Romanization, valuable archaeological materials from the nearby Roman villa in Torre, and medieval and Renaissance ceramics. An area, on the other hand, commemorates Joseph of Ragogna, the last owner of the castle.
📍 Via Vittorio Veneto, 19 (loc. Torre)
Saturday and Sunday
⏰ Dalle 15.00 alle 19.00
Full €3.00, reduced €1.00
ℹ️ More information: HERE
More information about museums in Pordenone qui
Take a guided tour to discover Pordenone:
—
Walking tour with audio guide Pordenone Urbs Picta
If, on the other hand, you prefer to visit the city to get to know it better, you can follow the audio-guided walking tour through our elegant city that will enchant you with its charming historic center where you can admire the palaces with beautifully frescoed facades that have earned Pordenone the nickname Urbs Picta: the painted city.
📍Punto di ritiro audioguide: Infopoint PromoTurismoFVG a Palazzo Badini, via Mazzini, 2
📆 7-8-9-10 giugno
⏰ Aperto dal lunedì al sabato 9.00 – 13.00 / 14.00 – 18.00 (ritiro consentito fino alle 16.00)
Domenica 9.00 – 13.00 (ritiro consentito fino alle 11.00).
ℹ️ More information: HERE
♿️ Itinerario accessibile anche a persone con disabilità: clicca qui per l’itinerario
➡️ Per qualsiasi informazione turistica e sugli eventi potete rivolgervi all’Ufficio Turistico di Pordenone, Infopoint
PromoTurismoFVG:
📍Palazzo Badini, via Mazzini, 2
⏰ Aperto dal lunedì al sabato 9.00 – 13.00 / 14.00 – 18.00 e domenica 9.00 – 13.00
☎️ +39 0434.520381 / +39 335.1516948
📩 info.pordenone@promoturismo.fvg.it
More information Infopoint Pordenone,
💛 MIV loves Pordenone 🖤
Useful sources and links:
https://www.pordenoneturismo.com
http://www.pordenonewithlove.it
https://www.comune.pordenone.it