PORDENONE – VALVASONE – SPILIMBERGO – MANIAGO

PORDENONE is an extremely dynamic and heterogeneous city where the modernity of the outskirts embraces the antiqueness of a beautiful town centre. At the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, featuring Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, stands the 14th century Town Hall with its vintage clock. Paintings by G.A. de Sacchis, better known as «il Pordenone», are displayed in the late-Gothic Duomo.
The 7th century Palazzo Ricchieri houses the Civic Museum of Art, where visitors have the chance to admire some of Tintoretto's finest paintings. The Natural History Museum is renowned for its interesting collections, especially for the ornithological ones. ZOPPOLA is only a few kilometers north-east of Pordenone. It's amazing to see how a thousand years of history have transformed the town's imposing Castle into a charming aristocratic palace. Next up is VALVASONE, a town which is not only famous for its Castle, but also for the neo-Gothic Duomo which houses fine paintings and an incredible 16th century organ. Northwards, along the road skirting the Tagliamento river, visitors can contemplate the intense green of the morainic hills and the brilliance of the Julian Alps.
BARBEANO and PROVESANO are worth visiting just for the sake of gazing for a while at the outstanding fresco series which G. da Tolmezzo painted in the two town churches. SPILIMBERGO is famous for its gorgeous panoramic setting and for the town center's innumerable facets. The Castle is an ancient and unusual complex of buildings differing in style, among which, the "Palazzo Dipinto", dating back to the mid-14th century. Another interesting sight is the beautiful mid-13th century Gothic Duomo, which houses a variety of valuable frescoes and works of art, including a marvelous wooden chancel. Finally, the Scuola Mosaicisti is a true institution for this town as it has brought back to life the prestigious and ancient art of mosaic. Driving up north, the bed of the Tagliamento river becomes broader and the landscape surrounding it changes as well: the mountains are now extremely close.
Proceeding along the foothill area, visitors come across lovely little villages before arriving in MANIAGO, a charming town at the foot of a mountain chain which separates the area of Friuli from that of Belluno. The town's old center presents a Duomo and other significant buildings of architectural interest, however Maniago is especially famous for being the Italian capital of knives. Many cutlery works export a good share of their production, whereas specialized shops sell typical, sharp souvenirs which come in the most different shapes.