Italy’s most enchanting villages Friuli Venezia Giulia

beauty right outside your door! Villagesof sheer beauty

Clauiano, Cordovado, Fagagna, Gradisca d’Isonzo, Poffabro and Valvasone are the most enchanting villages of Italy in Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is an honour as well as a commitment to be part of this club set up in 2001 upon a recommendation of the Tourism Committee of the National Association of Italian Municipalities. It is an honour since the value of small provincial centres is recognised in terms of history, culture, environment and traditions. It is a commit- ment because villages cannot be part of it forever: villages must show to be worthy of it over time by undertaking actions aimed at maintaining and increasing the quality of life and of the urban fabric. Being part of the “most enchanting villages of Italy” means complying with such requirements as the architectural harmony of the village and the qual- ity of the public and private building heritage, and other general liveability features regarding the activities and services offered to the villagers. Whilst Friuli Venezia Giulia has a range of other towns and villages packed with artistic, historic, landscape and cultural attractions, the Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages Committee chose these nine towns as enjoyable des- tinations for both tourists and those living in the region for their abso- lutely unique character. Clauiano because it has managed to preserve a straightforward rural feel, Cordovado for its balance between nature and architecture, Fagagna because it has safeguarded its welcoming atmos- phere, Gradisca d’Isonzo for a Baroque backdrop which is respectful of its history, Poffabro for its one-of-a-kind spontaneous architecture, Polcenigo replete with natural beauties and source of authentic experiences, Sesto al Reghena sheltered by the Abbey of St Mary, Toppo where archaeology and art exhibitions merge with nature and gliding, Valvasone because it has preserved its medieval plan and art treasures. This is, then, an invitation to experience village life and promote its phi- losophy.

2 Clauiano (Comune di Trivignano Udinese) piéris e clàps, rurality of rocks and stones

Cordovado in the stillness of the Friulian countryside

Fagagna the village of the storks

Gradisca d’Isonzo a Baroque village on the border

Poffabro (Comune di Frisanco) the magic of stone and wood

Polcenigo cool waters and slow rhythms

Sesto al Reghena in the land of the abbots

Toppo (Comune di Travesio) in flight over feudal lands

Valvasone (Comune di Valvasone Arzene) a small ancient world

3 ClauianoClauiano

h my, the Turks are coming!” That piercing cry that united many “OFriulian villages that were set on fire in 1477, surely echoed in Clauiano as well, razed to the ground by the Saracen hordes. Then came the reconstruction. Rewarding. The new urban structure, in fact, eliminated every solution that turned out to be weak or risky during the Ottoman raid and the various barbarian invasions which besetted the area throughout the Middle Ages up to the 15th century. A charming village of piéris and clàps (rocks and stones) slowly materialized. The buildings were made of masonry and had tiled roofs, and were built close to each other as if to form proper defensive walls, erected around two churches, St. George to the south and St. Martin to the north. The village grew bigger and even- tually resumed the active life that had once made it a reference centre.

Casa Osso, fresco of St Martin, recent work by Gianni Di Lena, and inscription. This refers to the confraternity of shoemakers of Udine that in the 17th century owned not only Casa Osso but also several plots of land and shops in Clauiano as shown also by the inscription of Casa Miani.

By no coincidence, since the Middle Ages the church of St. George had hosted meetings to take decisions on internal affairs, but also on issues concerning the neighbouring villages. Casa Gardellini is one the first ma- sonry buildings to be erected; it features an L-shaped structure that leans against other 15th-century structures being part of Casa Beltramini with its typical, well-protected internal courtyard, and Casa Tonutti Campag- nolo which preserved a 15th-century fresco depicting the Virgin and Child flanked by two Saints. In the 17th century, Clauiano underwent an important development phase

4 during which the two centres located north and south of the village ended up by merging and, in the following century, the village took its current shape. This period saw the construction of many parts of the enclosed court of Casa Colussi, Casa Dri and Casa Minin, Casa Palladini with its typical hearth, the “fogolâr”, featuring a large hood that extended to the two upper storeys and ended with an elegant Venetian-style chimney, and the three-storey building of the aristocratic family of della Porta with the attached gardener’s house, stable, prison and “foledôr”, a wine cellar usu- ally built near the main residential building. Villa Ariis dates back to the 18th century with its round-arched portal bearing a double lancet window with a stone balustrade above it and the adjoining, remarkable “foledôr”, Villa Manin with its pilasters and upper

Rural church of St. Mark. The archaeological finds highlight a small construction as early as in the Roman period. The building dates to the 14th century, has frescoed walls, a stone conch, a masonry step acting as a bench around all the walls and a 16th century altar, heritage of the restorations carried out after the raid by the Turks.

tympanum and Casa Zof Piano which features a depressed-arch stone portal which the village elders say that was originally a convent. Casa Barnaba Manin, Casa Calligaris Foffaniand Casa Bosco date back to the same period but have more ancient origins. Also the present church of St. George the Martyr, located on the village high street, which chose a sober Baroque style, maintained for both the inside and the outside, dates back to the first half of the 18th century. The building, whose history is quite ancient perhaps as old as the Longobard period, keeps a 15th-century bap- tismal font ascribed to Carlo da Corona, a painting by Osvaldo Gortanutti

5 Name

The toponym “Clauiano”, unlike many others, can be immediately interpreted: it dates to the Roman period and refers to the name of the owner of a plot of land in the area cur- rently occupied by the village, called in fact Claudius or Clavilius, from Clavius.

dating back to 1690 portraying the Adoration of the Magi and a 17th-centu- ry banner which was used for religious processions. Incidentally, also the other church, dedicated to St. Martin, around which Clauiano developed, was demolished in 1954. In the mid 19th-century Clauiano reached its maximum prosperity and im- portant families such as Manin, de Checo, Bassi, Bearzi and De Vit erected houses there with large farmworkers’ cottages. They were the ones who gave a boost to the village economy by building a spinning mill given the numerous white mulberry trees which provided a good food source for the silkworms. Nowadays the inhabitants of Clauiano show attention to their history by paving their roads using Piasentina stone or stones from the nearby Torre stream, replanting those mulberry trees which once abounded in the area and were excellent staple food until a few decades or so ago, enhancing the value of the area in front of the church of St. George, restoring the walls of the houses, the ancient frescos and the paintings, the sundials, the open galleries and the numerous arched house gateways. An example of the same care is the unearthing of the plan of the old pond of the square. The pond collected rainwater which was then used to water animals and wash clothes. Today the light-blue water has been replaced by green grass, maintaining the true rural flavour of the village.

Origins Although the current structure of the village dates back to the late Middle Ages, its origin is certainly more ancient. The first dwellings clearly date back to Roman times, and the ruins found near the church of St. Mark are evidence of that. The first official quotation however appeared on a parchment dated 13 July 1031. On that day, Poppone, the Patriarch of Aquileia, inaugurated the reconstructed ba- silica and set up the Chapter to which it gifted, for the

6 maintenance, a wide territory including also Municipality “Cleuian”, the current Clauiano. of Trivignano Udinese Province of Curious facts Udine Clauiano allows for a unique, rural, architec- How to get there tural and historical route through its portals. By car: It boasts portals of all kind, dating back from A4 motorway, ‘Palmanova’ the late 15th century to the 18th century. They exit; A23 motorway, ‘Udine sud’ exit are round, architraved, lower arches or arches By train: in bricks, stone, wood or a mixture of these. Venezia-Trieste-Palmanova Keystones, with crests or simple ornaments, line, Cervignano and Palmanova train stations, are sometimes accompanied by capitals and Grado-Cervignano-Udine surmounted by windows and stone or wood- coach service. en banisters. Altitude 43 m a.s.l. Traditions Organised in 2006 for the first time, “Im- Distance in km Gorizia 30, Udine 20, maginare il tempo” (Imagining time) is an Aquileia 20, Palmanova 4 event that has already become a tradition. It celebrates the autumnal equinox with a Inhabitants 1,700 (village - approx. 500) weekend dedicated to art, culture and eno- gastronomic specialities, each year proposing Patron saint a new theme. Thanks to the event, the houses St. Mark, 25 April and palaces of the village remain open for the Tourist information public to visit. Municipal Library: tel. 0432 999280, Thursday The well adjoining 2.30- 7.30 p.m. the church of St George cell. 333 6035344 Palmanova information and Borgo San Martino tourist board Inscription of the confraternity tel. and fax 0432 924815 of shoemakers of Casa Miani 1615 with keystone 1761 Internet www.comune- trivignanoudinese.it

7 CordovadoCordovado

he old castle of Cordovado witnessed numerous assaults which it vig- Torously repulsed. A glorious history, started much earlier than the year 1000 when the bishops of Concordia fortified it and chose it as the most important “castrum” of the plain, seat of civil, military and clerical powers where the people representing such powers often resided, especially in summer. It was fully used up until 1420 when, fallen under the Venetian rule, it lost part of its strategic value. Furthermore, it was hit by a plague in 1454: the castle gradually lost its importance until it was completely abandoned before being demolished, partly at the end of the 17th century and partly – the bishop’s keep – in the mid 19th century. The principal remains today are the moat, the walls and the towers giving access to the town. The tower with the clock dating to the 13th -14th century with a lancet-arched gate,

Iron statue of the Spaccafumo. It was the baker of Codovado described by Ippolito Nievo in “Le confessioni di un italiano”, a man who “had been gloriously given that nickname since he was mighty fast when chased”. Nowadays it is also a highly- nutritious handmade cake made of dried figs, raisins, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, almonds, arancini…and honey still preserves the internal wooden trench communications for the guards. Lying in a peculiar position, fully leaning against the tower, is the church of St. Jerome which was first mentioned in a document dating 1347. It has a single rectangular area, is in exposed bricks with wood truss ceiling and a sloping roof with tiles and it is characterised by an asymmetric entrance as opposed to the façade, surmounted by a rose window. The same document also mentions the church of St. Catherine, built in the mid 14th century, surrounded by fields and then absorbed by the new village. Reworked at the end of the 16th century and restored after 1976, it is completely fres-

8 coed. Worthy of notice is the altar-piece depicting St. Catherine with a royal crown on her head beside the Virgin Mary with Child, St. Apollonia and St. Lucy. Leaning against the west side of the northern gateway tower is the Palazzo Bozza-Marrubini, dating back to the 15th century but elegantly restored at the end of the 16th century as the house fit for the captain and the stew- ard. Frescos by Gio.Francesco Zamolo da Venzone, dating back to the early 18th century, can be found inside, which provide clear evidence of how the buildings located within the walls of Cordovavo were structured in the past. In the second half of the 18th century, the Palazzo Freschi-Piccolomini was built on part of the area previously occupied by the castle. The palace is a typical three-storey Venetian style building, its façade being dominated

Cordovado is an area rich in water, irrigation ditches, resurgences and artificial lakes thanks to old quarries. A green land characterised by big, century and more-than-a-century old trees: the nettle-tree of the Mainardi park, the weeping sophora and the weeping pagoda tree of the Cecchini park, the bald cypresses of the Madonna park, the sycamore tree near the northern tower of the castle, the almost century-old hybrid linden tree of Piazza al Tiglio (Linden square). by three high, narrow round-arched windows which surmount the rusti- cated gateway accessed through a staircase. The rear and the sides of the building are surrounded by 16th-century porches built on the old moat and connected to the villa. The palace is adorned by a lovely English-style gar- den with some of the century-old trees that are the pride of Cordovado. In the old village area there is the church of St. Andrews, the old Cathedral erected after the 1454 plague. The works in fact were completed in 1477, perhaps on the remains of that old parish church mentioned in a papal bull of 1186. The two aisles were added at the end of the 16th century.

9 Name

The toponym “Cordovado” has latin origins as “curtis de vado”. “Curtis” means “yard” and in- dicates a large farm complex whilst “vadum” refers to its position, that is a “ford” on the old main branch of the Tagliamento river.

At the end of the 16th century the apparition of the Virgin Mary to a wom- an of the people changed the development of the village, moving it to the north. In fact, the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin was built beside the capital where the miracle occurred and was inaugurated in 1603. The arrival of countless devotees, also from very far away, led to the building of houses for the officiants, the nobles and the poor, stables for the horses, a tavern and new trading places. Since 1884, the building housing the municipality has been the “home for noble people with beds, and all other comforts”. The Palazzo Cecchini-Mainardi, instead, was the home of the five offici- ating priests of the sanctuary, later converted, with various changes and extensions, in a Dominican friary from 1714 to 1806 when the friars were chased away as a result of a Napoleon’s edict. The sanctuary is an exam- ple of Venetian Baroque style with an octagonal plan decorated with stuc- cos, paintings, bas-reliefs, frescos and statues which give an idea of its old splendour. In the centre, along the high street, the massive 16th-century Palazzo Beccaris-Nonis stands out. Important local bourgeois families had it built and lived there. Among the houses of prayer in Cordovado, worthy of notice is the new church of St. Andrews, the present Cathedral. Inaugurated in 1966, in Ro- manesque-Gothic style, it contains several sculptures, paintings and glass- works by Pino Casarini from Verona, large windows decorated with figures by Arbetella, groups in terracotta and a cross by Italo Costantini.

Origins It is quite likely that Cordovado was a bishop’s fortress as early as the year 1000 being in a strategic position vis-à-vis the nearby estate owned by the Sesto abbey, linked to the Patriarch, with whom it was always in conflict. At any rate, the village was first mentioned in a papal bull issued by Pope Urban III in 1186 where it is referred to as being part of the assets of the bishop of Concordia. The same docu- ment also refers to a pre-existing parish church of St. Andrew which perhaps dated back to the 5th-6th century. The actual castle, instead,

10 was officially mentioned only in 1276 since Municipality the abbot of Sesto was instated there. of Cordovado Province of Pordenone Curious facts A mile away from Cordovado there is the How to get there fountain of Venchieredo, an enchanting back- By car: drop to the start of the tormented love story A4 motorway, “Portogruaro” between Leopardo Provedoni and Doretta di exit Regional road no. 463 Vinchiaredo recounted by Ippolito Nievo in Portogruaro-S.Vito “Le confessioni di un italiano” and to which By train: also fellow countryman Pier Paolo Pasolini Portogruaro-Casarsa line, Cordovado-Sesto train station. dedicated the poem “Limpida fontana di Venchieredo”. This place and others, such as Altitude the nearby mill of Stalis and the site of the 15 m a.s.l. Fratta castle, converge in Nievo’s literary Distance in km landscape. Udine 45, Pordenone 30, Casarsa della Delizia 17

Traditions Inhabitants The first Sunday of September, Cordovado 2,732 takes a plunge into history through the “His- Patron saint torical Commemoration and the Palio of the St. Andrew, 30 November Districts” organised by the local tourist office in collaboration with the districts of Borgo, Tourist information Tourist point Saccudello, Suzzolins and Villa Belvedere. c/o Municipal library Palazzo Cecchini, tel. 0434 690265 [email protected]

Southern castle tower Internet www.comune.cordovado.pn.it Palazzo Bozza in the Castle borough Crest of the Community

11 FagagnaFagagna

ittle over six thousand inhabitants and two castles. This is Fagagna, where Lthe history of five different ancient boroughs unfolded until they merged to form today’s village. The Patriarchs of Aquileia, who had owned the area since 983, had many residential buildings built there which were then entrust- ed with small feudatories who had to reside there permanently to protect and defend them. Therefore they were called Abitanza feuds (Abitanza meaning residence and protection) and all together formed an Abitanza consortium. The Abitanza feud of Fagagna is the most numerous and well-documented of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Their little houses were built between the 14th and the 15th century on a wide terracing under the castle and formed a borough closed by a second circle of walls. Further to the north there was the Brunel- de complex, a house-fortress owned by the noble family of Arcano, very pow-

The village of the storks. This is how Fagagna is called. In fact, the probability of seeing one of those birds flying there is quite high as a flora&fauna oasis known as i Quadris has been created for them with a picturesque lake and marish environment as well as the remains of ancient forests. A colony of Bald Ibis, a close relative of the Stork on the brink of extinction, lives there too and shares the oasis with the storks. erful noblemen in the Middle Ages. It was first mentioned in 1208, extensively revamped in the first twenty years of the 16th century and, at present, it is extremely interesting for the history of its diverse residential properties. In 1420 the village fell under the dominion of the “Serenissima” (the Most Serene Republic of Venice), without any fights. In fact, a delegation of peo- ple from Fagagna representing the Council of the Twelve, four noblemen and eight men of the people, which governed the Community, spontane- ously went to the Venetian commandant who was busy assaulting Udine and swore allegiance to the Republic. This avoided the shedding of blood

12 at the village which then comprised five small boroughs (Paludo, Sacavan, Sospia, Portafrea, Riolo), a group of farmhouses in the open country around the Lini mill and the houses of the defensive wall of St. Jerome located right below the castle, which was becoming less and less important. Nowadays the principal remains of the castle are the old tower converted into a bell tower, the remains of the mighty semi-circular rampart with three loopholes, some houses converted in trattorias, the central keep and the 14th-century church of St. Michael. Between 1490 and 1505, many of the stones of the dilapidated castle were used to built the Palazzo del Comune with the open loggia for public ceremonies and the hall of the Council on the first floor with four single-lancet windows and a triple lancet window surmounted by St. Mark’s lion, the crest of the Serenissima.

Entrance to the synagogue. It is the only one of the three ancient gateway towers of the castle of Fagagna that still remains in place today. After passing under the two arches, the inner one being a lancet-arched entrance dating back to the fourteenth century, one could go down to the houses of the defensive wall of St. James and to the dwellings of Sacavan.

The castle of Villalta has withstood the passage of time even if it had a rather troubled history. It was built at least between the 10th and the 12th century, reached its splendour in the 13th century and was destroyed for the first time by the earl of Gorizia in 1310. Once rebuilt, it was demolished again in 1353 by the Patriarch Nicolò di Lussemburgo and then again in 1385 during the war for the appointment of Filippo d’Alençon as the new Patriarch. In 1511, the last terrible year: a fire broke out during the Thursday Gras revolt, when local plebeians assaulted and raided as many as twenty castles, and a month later there was an earthquake. Finally, the reconstruc-

13 Name

The whole area was once covered by thick for- ests, in particular by beech trees, and “fagus” is the Latin name for beech. The name of the village in fact comes from “fagus”, hence “Fa- ganeu” and finally “Fagagna”, a name which therefore preserves reference to the beauty of the surrounding nature.

tion which gave the castle its present architecture, some tranquil centuries and then a series of grim and ominous stories which haunted the castle until the 20th century. Worthy of notice in Fagagna are the numerous houses of prayer among which the medieval church of the Virgin Mary of Tavella surrounded by the Madrisio countryside and the small 14th-century church of St. Leon- ard in the Riolo borough. Fabio Asquini, an enterprising follower of the Enlightenment, stands out in the more recent history of the village. He started a flourishing wine-making activity in 1753 spreading its Piccolit wine to half of Europe until 1811. At the end of the 19th century the countess Cora Slocomb di Brazzà opened an embroidery school which remained active until the 1960s, to provide support to the daughters of farmers and workers. They even em- broidered for Queen Margareth. Lastly, not to be missed is Cjase Cocèl, the museum of rural life. It is an ancient rural house, some parts of which date back to the 17th century; the yard, the stable, the barn, the house, the mill, the forge, the farm, the tavern and the dairy - which is well known in Fagagna for its cheese - have been reconstructed.

Origins The castle of Fagagna was probably erected at the beginning of the 11th century to act as the fortress of a simpler defence constructed to contain the Hungarian invasions. The area, inhabited since the 2nd century A.D. and with the parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption dates to the 6th-7th century, but it appeared in the chronicles in 1247, it was mentioned for the first time in 983 in a list of castles donated by the Emperor Ottone II to the church of Aquileia. The other castle, the one of Villalta, was mentioned around 1216. News of the two boroughs called Paludo and Borc di Piç, two centres of the Community set up within 1420, date to 1364.

14 Curious facts Municipality The village keeps as many as 5 highly-valuable of Fagagna Province of organs from an historical and artistic point of Udine view, witnesses of organ-making history from the 18th to the 19th century: the Baroque or- How to get there gan by Pietro Nacchini (1752) owned by the By car: Madrisio’s parish church, the Renaissance- A4 motorway, “Palmanova” Baroque organ by Francesco Comelli (1788) exit; A23 motorway,“Udine sud” exit owned by the church of Our Lady of the By train: Assumption, the operatic organ by Gaetano Udine station, Callido (1792) found in Villalta, the Rococò then Udine-Spilimbergo- S. Daniele bus organ by Valentino Zanin (1827) owned by Ci- conicco’s church and the romantic organ by Beniamino Zanin (1903) owned by the church Altitude 99-266 m a.s.l. of St. James. Distance in km Traditions Trieste 67, Udine 15, Spilimbergo 20 The first Sunday of September the village hosts a traditional village festival which, since Inhabitants 1891 has featured a donkey race (with carts 6,386 and riders) in Piazza Unità d’Italia. In addi- Patron saint tion to the Palio, a competition involving the St. James, 25 July four boroughs, on the second Sunday a short Tourist information play is staged which is conceived, written and Town council performed by the same boroughs of Fagagna, tel. 0432 812111 with scripts, music, scenographies and cos- Tourist office tel. 0432 801864 tumes judged by an ad hoc Jury. Internet www.comune.fagagna.ud.it The parish church The barn of Cjase Cocèl Church of the Lady of Taviele

15 Gradisca d’IsonzoGradisca d’Isonzo

he compact historical centre welcomes the visitor with a regular urban Tplan, featuring wide parallel street axes crossed by narrow lanes: it re- calls military camps straightaway. And this is how the Republic of Venice, settled in patriarchal Friuli in 1420, wanted Gradisca to develop. The village was founded in 1479 and was meant to facilitate the transfer of troops to the borders of its possessions, threatened by the Turks. The boundary wall, which rises twenty meters above the moat had seven circular sighting tow- ers and two gateways. Casa dei Provveditori, residence of the Venetian government representa- tives, dates to that period. It is a typical massive building dating to the late 15th century with a barbican to strengthen the angle whilst the façade has rectangular trabeated windows and a small wrought iron with railing.

The column with St. Mark’s lion rises on Piazza Unità d’Italia; the lion is the symbol of Gradisca as heritage of the dominion by the Serenissima which lasted approximately half a century. In this case, however, it is a more recent work: it is part of the monument to the Liberation of Gradisca, inaugurated in 1924, work of fellow townsman and sculptor Giovanni Battista Novelli.

From the 16th century there remain the vaulted ceilings of the ground floor and the two double lancet windows of the northern side of the Palazzo Coassini, formerly Palazzo del Fisco, whose façade was redone in the 18th century and the church of Our Lady of Sorrows, built between 1481 and 1498. Converted into a warehouse by Napoleon’s decree in 1810, it lost its sacred items, the magnificent high altar and the side altars, sold by the French, whilst the statue of Our lady of Sorrows was put in a safe place. The Turk’s threat which led to the construction of the fortified centre of Gradisca, did not dismiss the power of the Serenissima. It was Massimi­

16 liano I d’Asburgo who did it in 1511, starting a period of tensions with the Venetian republic which resulted in the Gradisca’s wars (1615-17). The village was so damaged as a result, that it was sold in 1647 by the Austrian empire, engaged in Germany in waging the Thirty Years’ War, to the Stirian nobles Eggenberg, In this period, ended in 1717 due to the lack of crown princes resulting from having returned in the hands of the Asburgs, the dominant local classes achieved remarkable autonomy and the then military centre became an administrative and economic centre. The area was known to be a real barn, renown for its red wines, silk production and selling as well as any kind of smuggling. By the end of the 17th century all the most repre- sentative noble palaces had been erected: the imposing Palazzo Comelli- Stuckenfeld with its squared gateway surmounted by a balustrade pre-

Enoteca “La Serenissima”: Italy’s first publicly owned wine shop opened in 1965 in fifteenth century Palazzo dei Provveditori della Serenissima. Here you can enjoy some of the area’s best white and red wines chosen via the high standards of Premio Noè and accompanied by some of the region’s best food products. Shows and prize ceremonies are also held here.

ceded by an arched French window ending with an additional trabeation, and based on that style Casa de’ Portis, Casa de’ Salamanca and Casa Wassermann, followed, at the start of the 18th century, by Casa de’ Bru- matti, Casa Brumat, Casa Spangher and Casa Ciotti. Also other almost intact architectural works date to the 17th century: the slender Loggia dei Mercanti, with three rusticated arches with rustic shafts, and the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà (pawnshop), with elegant string-course cornices made of white Karst stone and a keystone gateway on which a Baroque canopy with a sculpted Pietà stands out.

17 Name

The toponym has apparently Slavic origins. It could be traced back to “gradišcˇe” that is “fortified place” and by extension a village, a fort, a castle or a “gradiscje” and hence refer to the ruins of a castle. There are also people who argue that the toponym derives from “warda” or “wardicula”, which in Gothic and Longobard mean “small sighting place”.

Palazzo Torriani, as is today, was built between the early 17th century and 1725. It is the most representative building in Gradisca, outpost of Venetian culture constructed according to Palladian principles with the main build- ing and two symmetrical side structures. At present it houses the Town Council, the Gallery of Contemporary Art “Spazzapan” and the Civic Museum. Also Casa Toscani, characterised by severe lines, dates to the mid 17th century. The building has a double open gallery overlooking an internal yard, the second tier of arches being lower and very similar to typi- cal Stirian and Carinthian solutions of that age, and Palazzo Fin-Patuna already marking the passage from Baroque to Rococò. In 1754 Gradisca ground to a halt: the empress Marie-Theresa of Habsburg decided to unite the counties of Gorizia and Gradisca. The last one was no longer strategic as the empire had eroded the Serenissima and had ex- tended over most of northern Italy. The green “Spianata” (flat area) thus created became the centre of the social life of the village.

Origins Gradisca d’Isonzo was most likely already inhabited in the Roman and Lon- gobard age, hence exposed to the raids, mostly by the Avari (8th century) and Hungarian people (between the 10th and the 11th century), that badly frightened the local population. For a long time, however, it remained a ru- ral dwelling subject to the influence of the more important nearby centres such as Farra d’Isonzo. It was a simple “villa”, this is how it was first referred to in the most ancient census scroll of the Chapter of Aquileia, drawn up on 20 July 1176 by the emperor Federico of Svevia called “Barbarossa” (Red Beard), containing the list of the estates subject to the Patriarchs of Aq- uileia. The real history of the village started when, in 1420, it passed to the Republic of Venice which immediately included it in the defensive line under construction to counter the Turks’ invasions. Initially through ramparts and palisades, then, after 1479 through a proper fort with defensive walls, towers and a deep moat. Gradisca became un- conquerable.

18 Curious facts Municipality Many of the buildings in Gradisca incorporate of Gradisca d’Isonzo earlier houses. This also holds true for the Ca- Province of thedral dedicated to Saint Apostles Peter and Gorizia Paul, characterised by a beautiful Baroque façade. The cathedral underwent numerous How to get there By car: construction changes and incorporates the A34 motorway, “Gradisca chapel of St. Anne, ornated by elegant stuc- d’Isonzo” exit cos dating to the end of the 17th century. By train: Trieste-Udine line, Sagrado or The chapel, also known as Torriana since the Gorizia train station noble family followed the celebrations from here, keeps the monumental sepul­chre of Altitude Nicolò II della Torre. 34 m a.s.l. Distance in km Traditions Trieste 40, Gorizia 12, The people from Gradisca have appreciated Udine 30 theatrical plays since time immemorial. As Inhabitants early as 1792 the area of the old public barn 6,800 was used as “a theatre and entertainment Patron saint place”. Since 1850 the Theatrical Association Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June of Gradisca has proposed lyric and dramatic art (with Eleonora Duse in 1873), balls and Tourist information IAT Information and Tourist patriotic events and the “Comelli Costumes” Office from Gradisca were famous throughout Eu- tel. 0481 960624 rope. Pulled down during the Great War, Town council tel. 0481 967911

it was promptly reconstructed. Internet www.comune.gradiscadisonzo. go.it Palazzo Torriani www.prolocogradisca.it The theatre Portrait of end of 16th century- beginning of 17th century by Giovanni Battista Corona, captain of urban militia

19 PoffabroPoffabro

offabro is an open-air museum, having been isolated in the heart of PVal Colvera for centuries and centuries. In fact, only in 1888 a road was constructed which facilitated the descent to the plain from the sides of the Carnic Prealps. The population started emigrating from a place that was as charming as poor. Nowadays the reverse is occurring. Many emigrants are returning and new people arriving to the village, fascinated by the greenness and the tranquil- lity of the valley and, above all, by the style of the village. Poffabro boasts an unparalleled spontaneous architecture, where the severity of the cut-stone masonry and the stone arches is mitigated by wooden windows and bal- conies characterised by the typical vertical protection boards, always deco- rated with rows of flower pots. The ensemble is a harmonious movement

The monastery. The religious spirit of the valley has remained so alive that in recent years the Monastery of St. Mary was erected where the Benedictine Nuns pray and work making the monastery a pleasant place to stay for tourists: jams, infusions and herbal teas as well as different gift items.

of mezzanine floors, winding staircases and simple pillars that chase each other forming 16th-17th century plan houses either lined up or built around internal courtyards. Not one building soars over others or stands out in terms of grandeur: each house is created out of local resources and one cannot but notice the hard- ships encountered over the centuries by men struggling hard against nature. The result is a simple and austere yet intimate and domestic architecture. A secluded place where the inhabitants have preserved the traditions of bygone times. And still preserve them.

20 The Church of St. Nicolas is the only building in Poffabro that soars above all the other ones, being a tangible sign of the importance of faith in the com- munity. A simple and linear staircase lifts the white façade of the building, thus revamped in the 17th century, and makes it look more solemn. The pre- served wooden altar dates to the same period. Other fixtures were lost due to the countless restoration works, although the parish church never owned precious items given the prevailing poverty in the area. Notwithstanding, the population always showed its sincere and heartfelt religious devotion both by contributing to the purchase of items that could embellish the church and by constructing numerous votive capitals scattered around the roads and the village fields.

Crafts. The past isolation of the valley contributed to the development of manual skills. Wooden and wicker items for daily use are still produced along with the lovely “scarpèti”, typical local velvet shoes. The Scarpèti Association itself houses a small crafts exhibition.

Among the houses of prayer, worthy of notice is the sanctuary of the Bless- ed Virgin of Health, in the area of Pian delle Merie, not far from the centre of Poffabro. The construction works started in 1873 according to neoclassical principles as the votive offering by the population that had asked the Virgin for help against the cholera epidemic which raged in the area. In fact, people recount that the Virgin appeared as a dove to a small girl nearby the Lastra hill. The dove landed on the small girl’s hand and told her that if the villagers constructed a capital in her honour right on that spot, they would be spared from the cholera epidemic. Thanks to the miracle the population decided

21 Name For “Poffabro”, the connection with carftsmen devoted to the working of iron is evident. It means “field of the blacksmiths” and evokes the presence of some ancient workshops. It is not surprising: Maniago, the nearby town, re- nown for its cutlery factories, has been famous since the Middle Ages for such craft which eas- ily developed first in Val Colvera exploiting the waters of the stream bearing the same name.

to build also a church. Everybody worked hard, each according to their own skills and strength so that it took 13 years to complete the works, including the fixtures and the splendid clothes for the wooden statue of the Virgin. Poffabro houses one of the visiting centres of the natural Park of the Friulian Dolomites inside the old dairy. The dairy’s original machinery and tools can be seen on the ground floor and include pieces from 1930s – when it was inaugurated – to 1960s, when it was closed down. Among these, worthy of interest are the fixed bed burners to heat the milk, the processing plant with an electric engine and the typical Friulian table to press cheese using remov- able weights. A further permanent exhibition called “In mont - le malghe del Parco” (In the mountains - the shepherd’s huts of the Park) shows the casere (local residences) that are still in use in the surrounding territory and repro- duces the inside of a shepherd’s hut, including the tools for processing milk and turning it into cheese, butter and ricotta. Lastly there are two sectors dedicated, more specifically, to the environment. One illustrates the geo- graphical and morphological aspects, the flora and the fauna of the Friulian Dolomites Park, the other one dwells on the architectural, landscape and geological features of Val Colvera.

Origins Val Colvera, where Poffabro stands, was rather populated as early as in the Roman age when, right at the foot of Mount Ràut, it was crossed by the road which from the “Julia Concordia” military colony opened the route to the north through the Alps. The area shows signs of ancient settlements but, before reaching the first sure evidence, reference is made, above all, to the archives of the bishop of Concordia. In fact, already in the 11th century, its assets included the parish church of Poffabro. Secondly, there is an arbitration award dated 1339 which mentions “Prafabrorum”, the “field of black- smiths”, part of which, more specifically the “decimam de Pratum Fabri” (one-tenth) was bequested by the nobleman Galvano di Maniago to his son Nichilo in 1357.

22 Curious facts Municipality The fearful Inquisition reached Poffrabro as of Frisanco Province of well. It held a hearing (1648-1650) against Pordenone some witches who apparently gathered each Thursday for the Sabbath at the Mangustât How to get there field, behind Mount Ràut. For that matter, By car: this is a land of ogres, elves and “anguani”, from Pordenone, Main road water creatures that change their appearance no. 251 to Maniago; from Udine Main road no. 464 every three days: at times they are beautiful women, at other times they are slimy snakes. Altitude 510 m a.s.l.

Traditions Distance in km “Poffabro, a nativity within nativities” is the Pordenone 33, Udine 56, charming appointment that takes place each Maniago 7 winter from mid December to mid January. Inhabitants Well over one hundred of nativities can be 709 (village approx. 200) found in the cobble-paved streets of the vil- Patron saint lage and the 17th-century courtyards, up to the St. Nicolas, 6 December most hidden recesses which are lit up for the Also the co-patron Saint, St. occasion. The nativities are always different, Liberale is celebrated on the last Sunday of July they are either very small or imposing, simple or sophisticated, and can range from the more Tourist information traditional to the more imaginative ones. Val Colver Tourist Office tel. 0427 784411 (Saturday 10.00 to 12.00 a.m.) Scarpèti Cultural Association tel. 0427 730388 Visiting Centre of the Friulian Dolomites Park tel. 0427 877404 (only in summer and Typical architecture upon appointment) Nativities Scarpéti of Val Colvera Internet www.friuli.net/valcolvera

23 PolcenigoPolcenigo

fter the Roman era and its many local finds, the next turning point Ain the village’s history was the early Middle Ages and the arrival of Christianity with the founding of St. Florian’s Church on San Giovanni hill with its baptismal font, mother church for all the others in the area. In the high Middle Ages a fort was built on a hill which dominates the village to control important east to west and north to south trading and communica- tion routes and entrusted to a family of retainers who over time were made counts, the Counts of Polcenigo. They were given full jurisdiction over the area both during the Patriarchate of Aquileia and from the fifteenth cen- tury onwards under Venetian domination until the fall of the Most Serene Republic. The counts promoted economic and agricultural activities build- ing mills (two are still existing), cloth fulling mills, hydraulic sawmills and

The Gorgazzo stream spring. A sort of siphon from which the waters which come down from the mountains above spring up into an evocative natural environment whose colours and reflections have long made it a tourist and general interest attraction. It is especially popular with painters and photographers attracted by its bright and surprising colour effects. presses introducing mulberry farming to support silk farming making the area famous for the quality of its silks worked locally by many spinners. In the eighteenth century they rebuilt the castle, by then in a ruinous state, and took the opportunity to transform it into a great Venetian style palace (and it would seem that it was also designed by a Venetian architect Mat- teo Lucchesi) with a majestic 365 step staircase leading to the village below which is no longer extant. Unfortunately the castle has been through hard times and is now reduced, like nearby St. Peter’s church, to undeniably at- mospheric ruins.

24 Alongside this ruling family other aristocratic families settled in the town such as the Sbrojavacca, Locatelli, Lioni and Mainardi families and the bourgeois Fullini family which won the aristocratic title of Counts of Zucco, Cuccagna and Partistagno at auction in the seventeenth century and erect- ed a massive building in the main square decorated with beautiful stucco work and curious large masks. Napoleon’s stepson Eugene of Beauharnais stayed at the house in 1809 on the eve of the great battle of Carnolli. The local capital – where the aristocratic and wealthiest middle class families (notaries, traders, professional people) were concentrated from the 16th to the 18th centuries – contains many town houses of historic and architec- tural interest such as Palazzo della Contessa with its centuries’ old gigan- tic magnolia tree and adjoining former silk workshop, Palazzo Pezzutti

The Museum of the Culinary Arts Polcenigo also has a collection of objects, curiosities, documents and photographs showing its busy and successful tourist and hotel activities since the end of the nineteenth century by a great many Polcenigo residents particularly as cooks and waiterrs in Italy and the world over.

with its elegant three lobed window, Palazzo Zaro, previously Manin with another splendid three lobed window and a park, Palazzo Scolari-Salice, previously Mainardi, with a splendid Italianate garden created in the mid 19th century by its new owner engineer Pietro Quaglia. The surrounding villages remained, on the other hand, the preserve of peasant and small artisan families who suffered wars, raids (such as the Turkish raid in 1499), devastating epidemics and frequent famines. There are also many churches packed with works of art – frescoes, paintings, sculptures, altars, religious vestments - from the Middle Ages to the nine-

25 The name

The toponym Polcenigo derives from the an- cient Roman owner of the lands Paucinius or Pulcinius together with the Veneto suffix -igo indicating ownership. It was thus a character- istically praedial toponym “land/area owned by Paucinius/Pulcinius”, created on a Paleo- veneto underlayer.

teenth century: St James – medieval in origin but rebuilt in the eighteenth century with a former Franciscan monastery now a presbytery built onto it; St Roch with its characteristic belltower once perhaps the village watchtower; Our Lady of Good Health, fourteenth century in origin and once devoted to All Saints, St Florian’s church, mentioned previously, with its extremely fine medieval frescoes, the Parish Church of St. John of Polcenigo dedicated to John the Baptist, the churches of St. Lawrence and St. Michael in Coltura, the church of St. Anthony the Abbot in Mezzomonte, a picturesque village located 477 metres above sea level on a mountain ridge. The various villages are also dotted with shrines, aedicules and devotional fres- coes set into an urban fabric which also boasts, above all in Coltura, Gorgazzo and San Giovanni, many examples of well preserved 17th and 18th century country and poor men’s architecture. St. James’ Church contains an organ built at the beginning of the eighteenth century by Venetian organ builder Giacinto Pescetti with noteworthy and unu- sual instrumental characteristics and often used for concerts and music record- ings, particularly 17th and 18th century ones.

Origins Much and varied archaeological evidence has been unearthed in the Pol- cenigo area from the Paleolithic to the Roman eras, a sign that the area has been frequented and populated since the oldest times. Of especial interest are the pile dwelling villages of Palù di Livenza, on the border with Caneva, one of the most important in Northern Italy, which has lead to them being added to the UNESCO World Heritage lists in 2011 in the cross-border se- rial sites called Prehistoric pile dwelling sites in the Alps. A great deal dating to the Roman era has also been found and the toponym Polcenigo is itself of Ro- man origin.

26 Curious facts Municipality Just a short distance from the village centre, in of Polcenigo Province of Coltura, is the picturesque Santissima spring Pordenone which emerges subsequently to form the Liv- enza river. The spring was the location for an- How to get here cient propitiary rites linked to sacred waters By car: A28 motorway, in ancient times and pilgrimmage destination Sacile Est exit; from far off places too for pilgrims praying for from Sacile and Maniago, Strada Provinciale fertility, health and rainfall. Alongside it is the Pedemontana great sanctuary of the Holy Trinity with its mag- nificent wooden altar piece sculpted and paint- Altitude 42 m a.s.l. ed by Domenico da Tolmezzo dating to 1494. Distance in km Traditions Pordenone 19, Udine 71, Sacile 14, Treviso 58 On the first Sunday in September in the cen- tre of Polcenigo, an ancient and popular event Inhabitants is held, the Sagra dei Thést (or baskets) which 3,144 was once held near the Holy Trinity sanctuary Patron saint as a market for rush and wicker objects for St. James, 25th July peasants. Together with such products, in the Tourist information context of performance and cultural events, Tourist office the festival now also showcases craft and art c/o former library, products, fruit, honey, sliced meats, cheeses in front of the town hall Piazza Plebiscito, 24 and other delicacies largely locally or region- tel. 0434 74001 ally made. [email protected]. pn.it cultura@com-polcenigo. regione.fvg.it Castle seen from the entrance to the village Internet The village seen from above, www.comune.polcenigo.pn.it from the Palazzo Salice-Scolari hill gardens Banner of a house in Via Coltura

27 Sesto al ReghenaSesto al Reghena

inding myself with some free time from my ordinary occupations I “Fdecided to take myself off to Sesto within the week. I found a well built on land with an abbey in the shape of a castle with gates, towers and moat with perenially flowing water”. These are the words of Angelo Maria Cortinovis to describe St. Mary’s Abbey, founded by the Lombards. It is a place which speaks the language of beauty, which creeps up on its visitors a little at a time in a surprising way as if were inviting them to re- flect on an enigma – that of “an abbey in the shape of a castle”, a fortified abbey that is, a building set deep into the special colours of times past, the nuances of time. An abbey enfolded in the silence of the Friuli plains, severe, splendid and hushed always, seeming to whisper: “Come in and see for yourselves”.

A visit to the abbey village begins from its towered gate. This is Torre Grimani whose name derives from the Patrician Venetian family who were ecclesiastic lords of the abbey from the early 16th century to 1627. Under the St. Mark’s Lion and the house’s coat of arms, frescoes with female figures have allegorical significance symbolising the good governance of the Most Serene Republic.

Piazza Castello conserves the oldest and most prestigious buildings in the abbey village. Its bell tower, probably erected in the 11th and 12th cen- turies and Grimani Tower are the only of the seven towers built to defend the abbey which have survived. To the right is the Renaissance archway – through which the abbey park is visible – with traces of its lost cloister. The Palazzo del Comune, once the abbot’s residence, was probably built between the end of the 1100s and the beginning of the 13th century. It took on its current appearance definitively in the 17th century. It is a compact building with something of the look of a Veneto villa and one intriguing

28 theory is that the work was commissioned by Abbot Grimani to the great Andrea Palladio, a good acquaintance of his. In front of it is the Abbey’s Chancery probably dating to the late 12th and the early 13th centuries. It was the headquarters of the civil building which faced the religious one and the prisons were contained in it. The church is accessed through a frescoed portal preceded by an atrium flanked with paintings byAntonio da Firenze contrasting Heaven and Hell and a four sided portico containing a lapidarium telling the history of Sesto prior to the Lombard foundation. Once you are through the wooden portal you are in the heart of St. Mary’s, the abbey Basilica. The impression given is one of a building which has retained its original Romanesque features but the building’s modern ap-

Venchiaredo fountain: Sesto, land of abbots but also much loved of writers and poets. Here, then, between the abbey village and Cordovado, is Venchiaredo fountain, celebrated by Ippolito Nievo as a place which “brings the inhabitants of Eden before original sin to mind” and by Pier Paolo Pasolini, who described the very same “modest waters” and “gentle woods” which now welcome the visitor, when he was twenty years old. pearance is actually the result of restoration work which began in the early 20th century. On that occasion the crypt was also rebuilt with the mysteri- ous and beautiful St. Anastasia Urn in the middle. Made of Greek marble, this is certainly one of the most important early medieval artefacts in the upper Adriatic area. In the apse the Giotto workshop which had just completed one of the great- est artistic masterpieces of all time, the Scrovegni Chapel, was called to fres- co Sesto abbey too confirming its importance and the artistic rebirth which occurred at the time of the abbots from the powerful Della Frattina family.

29 The name

The toponym Sesto derives from the fact that in the Roman era the settlement was built in the vicinity of the sixth mile stone in the road from Iulia Concordia to Noricum. St. Mary’s Abbey, founded in around 730 AD, for centu- ries the only stone building in the whole area, was called in Sylvis because it was encircled by a dense forest.

But Sesto al Reghena and its surrounding area’s beauties do not end here. Just outside the abbey there is also an Italianate garden with 50 varie- ties of rose, a small contemporary art gallery and a Local Showcase for the area’s culinary delicacies. There are a number of family friendly themed itineraries with which you can explore the many treasures of the land of the abbots: from the lakes to the mills, from the country chapels to the Veneto villas to the enchanted places of Ippolito Nievo and Paso- lini. You can’t get lost, just follow the signs with the Abbots’ Way brand on them!

Origins In May 762 AD when “the power and success of the Lombard nation was already waning”, brothers Erfo, Marco and Anto made wills in which they left their land to the Sesto and Salt di Povoletto abbeys founded just a few years earlier. They thus assured the Sesto monastery all their vast estates in Friuli between the Tagliamento and Livenza rivers but also as far afield as the Verona and Marche areas. This was the origin of the greatest monastic institution in Friuli’s history. But Sesto’s history goes much further back than this dating to the Bronze age and passing through an important Roman era when the village was a notable defensive post along the Roman road which stretched from Iulia Concordia all the way to the lands of the North.

Curious facts Every two years, on Christmas Eve and the afternoon of Box- ing Day, the abbey hosts an absolutely unique Living Nativity Scene. With more than two hundred figures and dozens of animals, it brings the story of all stories to life in the abbey village and park in the presence of thousands of visi- tors attracted by the beauty of the place, its light effects and sacred music.

30 Traditions Municipality Vintage markets and acoustic concerts: past of Sesto al Reghena and present merge into one perfectly in Sesto Province of village. The best dealers in vintage modern in Pordenone Italy bring Sexto Vintage to life in May. Music How to get here lovers from all over Italy come to the town for By car: the Sextonplugged event with the best names A4 motorway, Portogruaro in independent music, all strictly acoustic, in exit; A28 motorway, Sesto al Reghena exit the world. By train: Venice-Udine line, Casarsa della Delizia station, then by bus; Venice-Trieste, Portogruaro station then bus

Altitude 13 m a.s.l.

Distance in km Pordenone 23, Udine 68

Inhabitants 6,393 Entrance gateway to the Abbey: archangel Gabriel Burovich complex Italianate garden Patron saint Stalis mill St. Mary’s Assumption, 15th August

Tourist information Pro Sesto

Internet www.comune.sesto-al- reghena.pn.it

31 ToppoToppo

oppo’s unique feature is the survival of its Masi, family run rural farm- Thouses which were the foundation stone of agriculture in the Middle Ages. In 1220 there were eight of these and by the 16th century, 25. Renova- tion work after the 1976 earthquake, however, revealed that at least three of these medieval farmhouses were also earlier Roman settlements. Palazzo Toppo-Wassermann developed from one of these farmhouses in the 16th century, at the foot of the castle. After eighteenth century rebuild- ing work the building was used as the Toppo family’s business offices and a holiday residence. The entrance gate bears a Latin engraving with a curious welcome message on it which translates as follows: “If I’m closed I will be opened to the evil, if I am open, I’ll close to the good. 1543”. It is a shrewd play on words which can be explained by the date it was built: the number

The central nucleus of the castle, encircled by a ring of polygonal walls, encompassed an imposing look-out and defensive tower. Excavations inside the building have unearthed the remains of a secret mint which coined fake Venetian and Carinthian coins in the first thirty years of the 13th century.

4, written backwards suggests that the central part of the formula is to be turned around and restores its meaning to it. The courtyard gives access to the St. James private chapel which includes a statue of St. Lucy in painted stone. Inside the building (now used as headquarters for conferences and exhibitions as well as acting as tourist office and hosting a permanent exhi- bition on the castle), there are two 17th century popular art frescoes which were removed from the walls of buildings in danger of falling down after the earthquake.

32 The Masi farmhouse route begins from Palazzo Toppo Wassermann and explores the original nucleus of the village. The square in front of the house contains an eighteenth century building with an entrance archway which was once the summer residence of the Spilimbergo Counts. There is an- other town house dating to the same period along Via della Colonia. Just beyond it, on the left, the cart track to the castle begins. The imposing remains of the castle dominate the plain and Toppo village from the slopes of Mt. Ciaurlec and can be visited on a guided tour. The manor house was restored in 2012 and is one of the most important ex- amples of 12th to 14th century fortified architecture in Friuli. The central nucleus of the fort encompassed an imposing look out tower and the resi- dence of the Toppo lords. An outer ring of walls defended this nucleus and

An interesting example of industrial archaeology, the furnace was built in 1926. The limestone was extracted from the quarries above and transported on carts to the edge of the slope where they were then tipped into the furnace using a wooden bridge. Closed in 1957, it has been recently restored.

encompassed the stables and other service structures. The St. Anthony the Abbot chapel, with fine frescoes dating to the 14th century discovered dur- ing restoration work, was erected on this curtain wall. The manor house was already in ruins by the sixteenth century because the Toppo lords had moved to the foot of the hill, to modern day Palazzo Toppo-Wassermann. Descending from the castle along Via della Colonia and Via dei Masi, you pass the entrance archway to a renovated building to your left, at the junction with Via della Fornace which was part of a 15th-17th century farmhouse. Continuing further you pass a series of 17th and 18th century

33 The name

Toppo, from Friulian Top, is a toponym which is mentioned for the first time in 1186 and be- lieved by some to mean «great trunk of stand- ing tree» whilst others believe that it refers to the landscape of the area, the hill the town is built on. This would link Toppo to Lombard tuppaz meaning “little hill”.

buildings which were part of an ancient farmhouse along the south side of Via Fornace. Via della Fornace, where the Parish Church of St. Lawrence was built, conserves courtyard houses with porticoes and outer walkways alongside the vegetable allotments and the orchards behind them. At the end of the hamlet there is a crossroads. The lefthand road climbs to the lime furnace while the righthand road is the start of the beautiful cycle track leading to Travesio. Here, in the local capital, a visit to one of the most important Renaissance painting cycles of the Friuli region, kept in the his- toric St. Peter’s Baptismal Church rebuilt in Neo-Classic style in the 19th century, is a must. The frescoes on the side walls portray episodes from the Gospels and the life of St. Paul while the lunette and the vault bear scenes from the life of St. Peter up to his glorious welcome in Heaven amid rows of angel musicians. The work (started in 1516, then interrupted and finished only in 1526) is by Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis known as Il Pordenone, the greatest Friuli painter of all time who worked with Raphael too.

Origins Toppo has been divided into two distinct settlements by Rio Gleria since the Middle Ages. The first of these, to the east, is synonymous with the Toppo farms (modern day Via Fornace and Via Nazario Sauro and the San Lorenzo parish church), the second, to the west is Pino hamlet, at the foot of the castle, corresponding to modern day Via Verdi and Via Castello. These were legally dependent on the Toppo lords who lived in the castle above. The first of these known to us is Uroino, an eminent figure of Norman origin who came to Friuli to serve the Patriarchate of Aquileia and was given the fief as a re- ward for his loyalty in 1188.

Curious facts Legend has it that the original nucleus of Toppo was further south, around the Lady of Mount Carmel church but that its inhabitants fled when the Huns arrived

34 and took refuge on the slopes of Mt. Ciaurlec Municipality where they built the current town. Archaeo- of Travesio Province of logical excavations have in fact found traces Pordenone of a likely pre-Christian religious site just a short distance from the church which was How to get here dedicated to St. Vitus and St. Modestus his- By car: torically. from Pordenone, Cimpello- Sequals road then via Solimbergo; from Udine Traditions state road 464 to Spilimbergo, “Settembre in Villa – Portoni Aperti”, on the then vai Travesio. second weekend in September, is one of the By train: Udine-Venice line, region’s most important events. As well as lo- Casarsa station then by bus. cal product tastings there are guided tours, workshops for adults and children, enter- Altitude 251 m a.s.l. tainment events (including by night) at the castle, exhibitions and performances. The Distance in km traditional St. Lucy festivities take place in Pordenone 40, Udine 44, Spilimbergo 15 December and an interesting nativity scene display is set up at Christmas. Inhabitants 1,814 (422 approx. in the village)

Patron saint St. Lawrence, 10th August. St. Lucy’s day is also celebrated, 13th December

Tourist information Courtyard in Via della Fornace Arcometa Tourist Office In flight over the castle tel. 0427 97003 (Tuesday to The Lady of Mount Carmel church Sunday) Internet www.friuli.net/valcolvera www.arcometa.org facebook.com/arcometa. consorzioturistico twitter.com/arcometanews 35 ValvasoneValvasone

few steps over what once was a drawbridge and one has the real im- Apression of a pact between the splendour long donated by the feuda- tories, the Valvason and the Cucagna, and contemporary life. The inhabitants of Valvasone, in fact, safeguard the history and integrate it with their daily lives, rich in activities, as if to treasure the suggestion given by the sundial under the 15th-century porches of the Palazzo Gan- dini: “Nihil tempore pretiosus”, nothing is more precious than time. The small village is compact, with medieval, Renaissance and 17th-18th century architectural jewels and a friendly glance for the visitor, just as Erasmo di Valvason used to say. He was a great Friulian poet of the 16th century who lived here and used to define his fellow villagers as “amica a’ peregrin cor- tese gente” (people who were courteous with foreigners).

Irma the wheel. It is the famous wheel of the old mill, first operated in 1473, as can be read from an inscription on the wall. It used the waters that flowed in the moat of the first tier of castle walls to grind sorghum, millet and wheat for the locals living in the surrounding areas.

The entire village developed around the castle which today appears like a massive building deprived of those towers, embattled walls and draw- bridges that characterised it in the past. This is how the castle appears after all the works carried out. It is however easy to guess how the arched gateway to the village was actually a far taller tower and the lane below a drawbridge. An irrigation ditch ran below, all around the defensive walls. It was an additional defence but also an access road: once the castle could be reached via the Tagliamento river which flowed nearer to Valvasone and the boats moored directly to a dock (“cavana”) located in the castle vault.

36 Still well preserved are also the big kitchen on the first floor with the large fireplace and the private chapel decorated with 17th-century stuccos be- sides the small 18th-century theatre owned by the noble family, the main 19th-century entrance hall in the state apartment, the courtyard well and the façade of the main aisle, dating to the 16th century, with pretty win- dows and a delicate balcony. Outside the castle, whilst taking a promenade among little lanes and stone-paved little squares, rows of 15th-century buildings extend with long external porches or linear façades yet ornated by pastel colour motifs and the church of Saints Peter, Paul and Antonio Abate with the nearby hos- pital, presently a private residence, already present in 1355. Dating to the Renaissance period are the Palazzo del Conte Eugenio, preserved intact,

Found frescos. On the ground floor of the castle, near the small 18th-century wooden theatre with the stand for the orchestra and the boxes for the nobles and their guests decorated with tempera, 14th-century frescos were unveiled. They depict a courteous scene where a princess, between two maids holding musical instruments, is in the act of crowning a knight.

Casa Trevisan with its round-arched door, squared in stone and surmount- ed by a balcony supported by two lion heads, and Casa della Pieve, known by that name as it incorporates the 14th-century church of St. James. The 17th century bequested Palazzo Tamburlini, with the projecting shapes of the internal fireplaces, the scenographic and peculiar Palazzo Fortuni and the Trattoria “Alla Scala”, whilst the 18th century donated Palazzo della Donna, presently housing the Town Council offices, Palazzo Pinni with a lovely park at the rear as well as the old spinning mill with the public wash- ing trough that can still be seen. Here the village women gathered to wash

37 Name “Valvasone” might come from “wal” (high ground, rise” and “waso” (field) therefore “field with high grounds” or from “wolf” (the animal) hence “land of the wolf”, the animal often found on the crests of the feudatories of the times, the Valvason and Cucagna fami- lies. The name dates back to the Middle Ages, the period which mostly characterised the history of this village.

clothes: first they mixed ashes with boiled water, then they poured the mix- ture called lissiva on the laundry placed in a washtub and after leaving it soak for half a day they rinsed the clothes under running water. Conversely, the various restorations such as that of the Renaissance-style Palazzo Martinuzzi-Dulio date to the 19th century. The place of honour of the village is occupied by the cathedral, consecrat- ed in 1484 to house the Sacred Tablecloth relic, a miracle that took place in a not-far-away place called Gruaro. The facts apparently occurred in 1294. Apparently, some blood stains appeared on the sacred vestments from Val- vasone whilst they were being washed and people believed that the stains came from a consecrated wafer forgot inside the vestments. The church houses a perfectly operating 16th-century organ, the only one to survive in Italy from the famous Venetian 16th-century tradition. Each spring one can appreciate its sound during the “Review of ancient music” and thus relive that musical culture that reached its maximum splendour during the Venetian Renaissance period. The organ also boasts golden decorations and small panel covers painted by Pomponio Amalteo and Giovanni An- tonio de’ Sacchis known as Pordenone, among the most famous artists of those times.

Origins Evidence of the existence of Valvasone is surely recorded in historical documents starting from the 18th century. News that overlap legends­ however recount that it was Valvisonio or Volusonio, a citi- zen of ancient Rome, who founded Valvasone in 132 B.C.; others state that it dates to Roman time but spontaneously rose at the crossroads of two important communication routes: the Postumia consular road which from Oderzo stretches to the east up to Aquileia, and the Via Giulia which from Concordia reached as far to the north as Ge- mona. Finally some people state that it was Lupo, duke of Friuli, who created Valvasone from 663 and 665 A.D.

38 Curious facts Municipality The earls of Valvasone, among the illustrious of Valvasone Arzene guests, also welcomed Napoleon who was Province of given the white hall of the castle and a fine Pordenone banquet in the days of the decisive battle How to get there waged in 1797 which put an end to the Re- By car: public of Venice. A4 motorway, “Portogruaro” exit By train: Traditions Venezia-Udine line, Casarsa A throwback to medieval times with the his- della Delizia train station torical commemoration of Valvasone, every then bus second weekend of September. To take a Altitude promenade in the squares and lanes where 59 m a.s.l. the ancient craftsman’s shops come alive Distance in km again, where the knights met each other with Pordenone 22, swords, the peasants danced the saltarello (a Udine 36 merry dance) and the taverns or tabernae of- Inhabitants fer sweet-and-sour dishes from a century-old 2,204 culinary tradition. Patron saint Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June

Tourist information Valvasone tourist office tel. 0434 898898 open: all days 9.00-12.00 / 15.00-18.00 [email protected] Sms Info VA 345 5794480 The Cathedral Internet View of the village www.valvasonearzene.it The 16th-century www.medioevoavalvasone.it organ www.provalvasone.it

39 RegionFriuli Venezia Giulia

Friuli Venezia Giulia, a small borderline yet extremely diverse region. Starting from its towns: Trieste, the capital city, combines the sea, historical cafeterias and the Habsburg charm, Udine with its Venetian architecture, the warm taverns and Tiepolo’s paintings, Pordenone with its frescoed 17th-century palaces and the long porches and finally Gorizia, the garden- town, Mitteleuropean elegance, which recently shed its iron curtain.

Therefore, a journey to the discovery of the Most enchanting villages of Friuli Venezia Giulia can be an opportunity to go far and beyond. You will discover the Second Rome, that is what Aquileia is called, with the biggest paleo-Christian mosaic cycle of the Western World, Palmanova known as the star-shaped fortress, Cividale, the first Longobard dukedom, the Belle Epoque of Tarcento’s liberty-style villas, the castle of Colloredo di Monte Albano also the home of writer Ippolito Nievo, San Daniele, the small Siena of Friuli. And Venzone, surrounded, together with its mummies, by high medieval walls; Gemona, which managed to rise with pride after the 1976 earthquake as well as its 15th-century cathedral and the nearby Bor- dano with the House of the Butterflies, containing more than 400 different species that fly in the greenhouses. Then Spilimbergo, with its internation- ally renowned mosaic schools, Maniago the town of cutlery factories, the Abbey of Sesto al Reghena, the town of Sacile being as talkative as its bubbly water courses and canals...

Worthy of notice is the coast which offers the family serenity of Lignano Pineta and Lignano Riviera, the liveliness and fun of Lig- nano Sabbiadoro, the elegant tranquillity of the thermal baths of Grado, the timeless appeal of the lagoons of Marano, a birdwatch- ing paradise, and the pleasant fishermen’s village of Muggia on the Slovenian border. From there the riviera of Trieste rises, all hidden inlets and rocks with the Miramare natural reserve, the most ancient of Italy, and thanks to the famous bora

40 there is the possibility of practising wind- surfing, kite-surfing, water-skiing and sailing.

Yet another landscape not to be missed are the gentle hills of the Collio which, with their vineyards and valleys offer interesting walks in every season, and also up to the Carnia area, where a network of paths connects the villages of the valley floor to casere (shep- herd huts) and mountain border posts which anyone can reach on foot, by bicycle or on a horse’s back. Those fond of skiing, whether alpine or cross-country, snowboarding, ice- skating and ice climbing can enjoy miles and miles of slopes in Tarvisio, Ravascletto, Forni di Sopra, Piancavallo and Sella Nevea. From these Julian Alps to the Carnic Alps up to the Friulian Dolomites one comes across large forests and boundless natural parks with chamois, reindeers, steinbocks, bears, birds of prey and enchanting lakes such as those of Sauris and Barcis.

Villa Manin, Passariano, Udine Piazza Libertà, Udine Cividale del Friuli Miramare Castle, Trieste Lake of Barcis Lilium carniolicum

41 Gastronomy

Friuli Venezia Giulia boasts an extraordinarily rich culinary tradition, legacy of the many peoples that made its history. In tasting the various dishes one cannot but notice the Mitteleuropean, Slavic, Mediterranean and Venetian influences matched by the tastes of the simple dishes of the traditional cui- sine of the mountains and the countryside. The famous San Daniele ham stands out among all the rest together with the wines of the well over 1,700 cellars, divided between nine DOC and DOCG areas. The “Aquileia DOC wine route” offers the opportunity to taste some of these great wines with appetising local dishes. The Adriatic Sea offers fresh shellfish, the sardines of the gulf of Trieste, Grado’s boreto (fish soup), Busara-style scampi - an Istria speciality – and the “ribaltavapori” mixed fried fish proposed by Marano Lag- unare. The hinterland offers the trout, in particular smoked trout such as the

The Pitina. In Val Tramontina, in the Pordenone area, the pitina was used to preserve the meat of sheep, goats, chamois or roebucks. These meats were finely chopped and shaped as meatballs seasoned with salt, garlic, black pepper and spices, they were rolled in corn flour and left near the fireplace to dry then moved to a ventilated room. The Peta from Andreis and the Petuccia from Claut are similar to the Pitina mentioned above.

Queen of San Daniele, but above all the meat of the Gorizia-style goulash, the omnipresent muset e brovada (pork sausage and white turnips) where the turnips are grated and soaked in marc, and many more locally produced hams and sausages: the smoked speck from Sauris, the cooked ham from Trieste, the ham from San Daniele and Cormons, the pitina, various types of salami, bellies of pork and lards. The many grazing fields and the long tradition of the dairies used in turn by the various families all offer a wide range of tasty cheeses, from the Mon- tasio to the smoked ricotta which are the most well known ones, to the

42 more peculiar ones such as the tasty formadi frant obtained by processing cheeses of different ages, and theAsìno cheese, hard or soft, creamy or spreadable, and always salty. Cheese is also the main ingredient of frico a delicious cheese-based savoury cake, that can be either crunchy or soft, and goes really well with polenta. The cold winter weather led to the creation of many hot dishes including Carnia’s cjarsons, a kind of sweet-salty agnolotti (filled pasta), plum gnocchi from Gorizia, barley and beans soup, the jota soup from Trieste, made with sour cabbage, potatoes, beans, pigskin and, in the Goritian version, barley. There are many Slavic and Mittel-Europe influenced desserts made in lo- cal versions here such as gubana and variants such as putizza, presnitz and strucchi biscuits. There are Carnival desserts from the Veneto region

The Gubana. A typical cake of the Natisone Valleys with Austrian-Bohemian influence whose name derives from the Slovene term “guba” which means “fold”. It is in fact folded as to create a spiral filled with dried fruit, sultanas and spices soaked in liqueur, then served sliced sprinkled with Slivovitz, a plum- flavoured grappa.

such as crostoli and fritole and also Bussolà whilst Esse di Raveo, crunchy, crumbly shortcake biscuits come from the mountains. Ippolito Nievo’s Spaccafumo is of literary tradition. Friuli Venezia Giulia also has Julia Dop apples, grappas, honey, asparagus and olive oil from the Trieste Riviera and hilly areas of Friuli to offer. A visit to Italy’s most beautiful villages in the region is thus an opportunity to try out its infinite delicacies and see for yourself how good they are.

43 Dolomites, Unesco heritage

The stately rock tower of the Bell Tower of Val Montanaia is the symbol of the Regional Park of the Friulian Dolomites. Its peculiarity lies not only in its remarkable extension (270 m to the south and 120 m to the north) but also in its isolation: it is at the heart of a glacial res- ervoir surrounded by a crown of other eleven peaks and rocky needles.

Tarvisio

SS 52 Tolmezzo

A23 Venzone candidato 2015

Gemona del Friuli FS

Poffabro Meduno Frisanco Toppo SS 13 Travesio San Daniele Maniago del Friuli

FS Spilimbergo Fagagna Cividale del Friuli

Polcenigo Udine

FS Valvasone Pordenone FS Sacile Casarsa SS 13 SS 56 della Delizia A23 FS Trivignano Codroipo Udinese San Vito al Tagliamento Clauiano Gorizia A28 Gradisca d’Isonzo Sesto Palmanova al Reghena Cordovado SS 14 A4 A4

Cervignano FS del Friuli FS

Portogruaro Aquileia

Lignano Sabbiadoro Grado

Trieste

44 Borgo di Venzone (UD) Friuli National Monument of great Venezia historic and artistic interest Giulia Club candidate since April 2015 How to get there By car: Tarvisio A4 Turin – Trieste motorway A23 Palmanova - Udine – Tarvisio motorway SS 52 Tolmezzo A28 Portogruaro-Conegliano motorway By train (railway sections): A23 Venzone • Trieste-Gorizia-Udine candidato 2015 • Udine-Palmanova- Gemona del Friuli Cervignano-S. Giorgio di FS Nogaro • Udine-Cividale Poffabro Meduno Frisanco Toppo SS 13 • Udine-Tarvisio Travesio • Gemona-Pinzano-Sacile San Daniele Maniago del Friuli • Udine-Venezia

FS Spilimbergo • Casarsa-Portogruaro Fagagna Cividale del Friuli • Trieste-Monfalcone- Cervignano-Venezia Polcenigo Udine www.trenitalia.it

FS By air: Valvasone Trieste Regional Airport Pordenone FS Sacile Casarsa SS 13 SS 56 www.aeroporto.fvg.it della Delizia A23 FS Trivignano Antonio Canova Airport Codroipo Udinese San Vito Treviso al Tagliamento Clauiano Gorizia A28 Gradisca www.trevisoairport.it d’Isonzo Sesto Palmanova Marco Polo Airport (Venice) al Reghena www.veniceairport.it Cordovado SS 14 A4 A4 Inhabitants Cervignano FS del Friuli FS 1,234,679 (30-06-2010)

Portogruaro Aquileia Superficie 7,845 sq km Lignano Sabbiadoro Grado Patrono Trieste Saints Ermacora and Fortunato, 12 July

Tourist information www.turismo.fvg.it 45 Tarvisio

SS 52 Tolmezzo

A23

Gemona del Friuli

FS Poffabro Meduno Clauzetto Andreis Frisanco Travesio SS 13 Cavasso Meduna Fanna San Daniele del Friuli Maniago Sequals Colloredo di Arba M. Albano FS

Cellina Tagliamento Pagnacco Spilimbergo UDINE Fagagna NORD Cividale del Friuli Vivaro SS 464

Udine

FS Itineraries Tarvisio UDINE Valvasone SUD FS SS 13 Pordenone TorreSS 56 Sacile Casarsa A23 della Delizia From Gradisca d’Isonzo FS Codroipo SS 52 TolmezzoTrivignano to Clauiano km 25, min. 24 Udinese Natisone Gorizia CIMPELLO San Vito Tagliamento Mariano On the stretch from Gradisca al Tagliamento Clauiano del Friuli AZZANO DECIMO d’Isonzo to Clauiano, a hamlet of Palmanova GRADISCA SS 463 A28 A23 Trivignano Udinese, we find Pal- PALMANOVA A4 Romans Gradisca Sesto d’Isonzo d’Isonzo manova, also known as the star- VILLOTTA al Reghena Cordovado VILLESSE GORIZIA shaped town for its polygonal SESTO AL REGHENA SS 14 plan representing a nine-point- A4 Gemona del Friuli Isonzo FS Cervignano FS ed star. After losing Gradisca, del Friuli PORTOGRUARO the Republic of Venice built this FS Poffabro fortress-town in 1593, a defence Aquileia Frisanco Portogruaro SS 13 from possible Turks’ raids and a block to the expansionary plans San Daniele del Friuli of the Habsburgs. Lignano Sabbiadoro Colloredo di Maniago M. Albano

Grado FS Pagnacco From Clauiano Spilimbergo UDINE Cividale todel Friuli Fagagna km 40, min. 40 Fagagna NORD Trieste SS 464 Along this route we find Udine, Udine chief town of Friuli, where in

Natisone1511 the popular insurrection of FS UDINE Thursday Gras broke out and Valvasone SUD SS 13 FS eventually led to the fire of the Pordenone SS 56 Casarsa Sacile A23 castle of Villalta di Fagagna. della Delizia Torre FS The history of the town is linked Codroipo Trivignano Udinese to the SerenissimaGorizia (piazza Libe­ SS 252 rtà, Loggia del Lionello, Torre San Vito Clauiano Mariano A28 al Tagliamento dell’orologio…),del Friuli the Lombard-Ve­ Palmanova netian andGRADISCA Habsburg Kingdom A4 Romans Gradisca PALMANOVA and finally Italyd’Isonzo in 1866. Cordovado d’Isonzo VILLESSE GORIZIA Isonzo SS 14 A4 Cervignano del Friuli FS FS 46 Aquileia Portogruaro

Lignano Sabbiadoro

Grado

Trieste Tarvisio

SS 52 Tolmezzo

A23

Gemona del Friuli

FS Poffabro Meduno Clauzetto Andreis Frisanco Travesio SS 13 Cavasso Meduna Fanna San Daniele del Friuli Maniago Sequals Colloredo di Arba M. Albano FS

Cellina Tagliamento Pagnacco Spilimbergo UDINE Fagagna NORD Cividale del Friuli Vivaro SS 464

Udine

FS From Sesto al UDINEReghena Valvasone SUD to Valvasone km 25, FSmin. 37 SS 13 Pordenone TorreSS 56 Sacile Casarsa A23 della Delizia Three Club villages in just over FS Codroipo 20 km to which a further gemTrivignano is Tarvisio Udinese Natisone to be added en route. San Vito al Gorizia CIMPELLO San Vito Tagliamento Mariano al Tagliamento Tagliamento, walled town with Clauiano del Friuli AZZANO DECIMO SS 52 a moat around it accessed by Palmanova GRADISCA A28 SS 463 Tolmezzo three perfectly conserved gates:PALMANOVA A4 Romans Gradisca Sesto d’Isonzo d’Isonzo VILLOTTA al Reghena Cordovado Scaramuccia, Grimana and Rai- VILLESSE monda. Town of painter Pom- GORIZIA SESTO AL REGHENA SS 14 A4 ponio Amalteo,A23 it is centred on Isonzo Cervignano FS Piazza del Popolo, its castle deland Friuli PORTOGRUARO FS some beautiful aristocratic town houses. Gemona del FriuliAquileia Portogruaro

FS

Poffabro Meduno Clauzetto From Valvasone Lignano Sabbiadoro Andreis Frisanco to Toppo km 54, min. 74 Toppo Travesio SS 13 Cavasso Grado Meduna Fanna SanOn Daniele the Rauscedo road and con- del Friuli Maniago Sequals tinuing inColloredo the didirection of Ma- M. Albano Trieste Arba niago takes you past the evocative FS

Cellina Tagliamento ‘magredi’. Dry, lowPagnacco in water with Spilimbergo many stones, these are dryUDINE in sum- Fagagna NORD Cividale del Friuli Vivaro mer even in the rainiestSS 464 region in Italy, as parched as an Eastern Eu- ropean steppe, but they are home Udine to green toads, manyFS species of Valvasone UDINE butterfly and nesting birdsSUD such FS as stone SScurlews 13 and little ringed Pordenone TorreSS 56 Sacile Casarsa A23 della Delizia plovers. From Poffabro, the route FS Codroipo then crosses Val Colvera and Me- Trivignano duno in its entirety with views of Udinese Natisone Gorizia CIMPELLO San Vito Tagliamento Mariano al Tagliamento Toppo castle on arrival. Clauiano del Friuli AZZANO DECIMO Palmanova GRADISCA A28 SS 463 PALMANOVA A4 Romans Gradisca Sesto 47 d’Isonzo d’Isonzo VILLOTTA al Reghena Cordovado VILLESSE GORIZIA SESTO AL REGHENA SS 14 A4 Isonzo Cervignano FS del Friuli PORTOGRUARO FS

Aquileia Portogruaro

Lignano Sabbiadoro

Grado

Trieste Tarvisio

SS 52 Tolmezzo

A23

Gemona del Friuli

FS Poffabro Meduno Clauzetto Andreis Frisanco Travesio SS 13 Cavasso Meduna Fanna San Daniele del Friuli Montereale Maniago Sequals Colloredo di Valcellina Arba M. Albano FS

Cellina Tagliamento Pagnacco Spilimbergo UDINE Fagagna NORD Cividale del Friuli Aviano Vivaro SS 464

Budoia Udine Polcenigo From Polcenigo to Sesto Roveredo FS in Piano al Reghena km 42, min.UDINE 52 Valvasone SUD FS Leaving the foothillsSS 13 behind, don’t Pordenone TorreSS 56 Casarsa A23 della Delizia miss out on a view of Pordenone, Caneva FS Codroipo Sacile Trivignano the provincial capital with its Udinese Natisone Gorizia CIMPELLO San Vito Tagliamento Mariano al Tagliamento several millennia of history, pro- Clauiano del Friuli AZZANO DECIMO foundly linked to its river Non- Palmanova GRADISCA A28 SS 463 Tarvisio PALMANOVA A4 Romans Gradisca Sesto al cello. The historic centre should d’Isonzo d’Isonzo VILLOTTA Reghena Cordovado VILLESSE be explored on foot to let yourself GORIZIA SESTO AL REGHENA SS 14 SS 52 A4 be seduced byTolmezzo the elegance of its Isonzo Cervignano FS del Friuli PORTOGRUARO town houses and porticoes, the FS

poetry of frescoes which, like the Aquileia Portogruaro pages of a book,A23 seem to want to tell you the town’s history. Lignano Sabbiadoro

Gemona del Friuli Grado

FS Poffabro FromClauzetto Polcenigo Trieste Meduno Andreis Frisanco km 41, min. 59 Toppo Travesio to Toppo SS 13 Cavasso Meduna From Polcenigo climb north-east- Fanna San Daniele del Friuli Montereale Maniago Sequals wards along theColloredo foothills di road. Valcellina Arba M. Albano Here it is the variety of panora-FS Cellina Tagliamento Pagnacco Spilimbergo mas and places which is theUDINE order Fagagna NORD Cividale del Friuli Aviano Vivaro of the day. Villages of SSauthentic 464 Budoia beauty, such as Dardago alternate Udine Polcenigo Roveredo with industrial archaeologyFS sites in Piano UDINE Valvasone such as the Malnisio powerSUD sta- FS SS 13 Pordenone TorreSS 56 Casarsa tion. The main towns the routeA23 della Delizia Caneva FS passesCodroipo through are Montereale, Sacile Trivignano Udinese Natisone Gorizia CIMPELLO the gate to Valcellina, and Ma- San Vito Tagliamento Mariano al Tagliamento Clauiano del Friuli AZZANO niago, a town with thousands of DECIMO Palmanova GRADISCA A28 SS 463 years of knife making history. PALMANOVA A4 Romans Gradisca Sesto al d’Isonzo d’Isonzo VILLOTTA Reghena Cordovado VILLESSE GORIZIA SESTO AL REGHENA SS 14 A4 48 Isonzo Cervignano FS del Friuli PORTOGRUARO FS

Aquileia Portogruaro

Lignano Sabbiadoro

Grado

Trieste Set up in accordance with Regional Law 2/2002 art. 174.

© 2015 Municipalities of Cordovado (Pn), Fagagna (Ud), Frisanco (Pn), Gradisca d’Isonzo (Go), Polcenigo (Pn), Sesto al Reghena (Pn), Travesio (Pn), Trivignano Udinese (Ud), Valvasone Arzene (Pn) www.borghibellifvg.it

Photographs by: Paolo Bonini (Clauiano); Dario Bigattin (Cordovado); Raffaella Plos (Fagagna), Renzo Schiratti (Chiesa della Madonna di Taviele, Fagagna); Mario Pierro, Carlo Sclauzero, Carlo Alberto Villa (Gradisca d’Isonzo); Gianluca Coghetto, Ass. Lis Aganis Ecomuseo Regionale delle Dolomiti Friulane, Clara Carboncich, Roberto Mazzoli (Poffabro); Foto Pagnucco (Valvasone); Danilo Rommel (Polcenigo); Stefano Padovan, Interattiva (Sesto al Reghena); Gianni Bortolussi (Toppo); Archivio Interattiva, Claudio Beltrame, Francesco Zanet (generali) Translated by: Olivia Bisegna and Lexilab, Pordenone (Pn) Graphics and layout by: Interattiva, Spilimbergo (Pn) Printed by: Lito Immagine, Rodeano Alto (Ud)

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