What to see in Pordenone: places of interest and surroundings

Pordenone, an elegant city in Friuli Venezia Giulia with a charming historic center: a relaxing walk under the arcades, among the longest in Europe, and among buildings with beautifully frescoed facades, is the best way to discover the city. The history of Pordenone (formerly Portus Naonis) is still linked today to the Noncello, a watercourse that for centuries was navigable, determining the economic development of the city and contributing to creating a peculiar inclination for innovation, exchange, and dialogue.

Dynamism and creativity are evident in architecture, artistic, musical, and literary production, as well as in all those internationally acclaimed events such as “Pordenonelegge“, the “Silent Film Days” and “Dedica Festival” that have made Pordenone a rich and original cultural reality in the Italian and international panorama.

1 The center of Pordenone

Pordenone is a beautiful, modern, curious, and fun city. It has a picturesque historic center that can be explored on foot to be seduced by the elegance of the painted palaces and porticos, by the poetry of the frescoes that reveal the history of the city. The center of Pordenone develops along two main arteries: Corso Garibaldi and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Along these two arteries, numerous historic palaces follow one another. Pordenone is also the city that gave birth to Giovanni Antonio de Sacchis, who lived between 1484 and 1539, known as Il Pordenone, the greatest Friulian Renaissance painter.

2 Corso Vittorio Emanuele II

From the ancient Town Hall, with its original Gothic shapes, begins Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the old Contrada Maggiore, an elegant street with long arcades and buildings of great artistic and architectural interest. In Pordenone, there are also well-kept shop windows and cozy cafes, and picturesque alleys overlooking characteristic restaurants.

Places of interest in Pordenone

Places of interest in Pordenone not to be missed are the Cathedral, the Town Hall and Palazzo Ricchieri, home to the Art Museum.

3 Cathedral of Pordenone

Built between the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, the Cathedral (Duomo) of Pordenone features an unfinished neoclassical façade highlighted by the Renaissance-style portal by Antonio Pilacorte. The Cathedral is located next to the Town Hall, another point of interest in Pordenone, and is dedicated to Saint Mark. Inside the sacred place are important works of art including the well-known altarpieces by Pordenone, born Giovanni Antono De’ Sacchis, dedicated to the “Madonna of Mercy”. The bell tower is 72 meters tall and is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy (1347-1626).

4 City Hall

The City Hall of Pordenone is located at the end of the arcade of the course. It features interesting and particular Gothic forms. The City Hall of Pordenone has been expanded over the years. The pinnacles and a small loggia were added only in 1542, while the origins of the palace date back to 1291 with important additions in 1365.

The Museums of Pordenone

5 Civic Art Museum of Pordenone (Palazzo Ricchieri)

In 1949 Lucio Ernesto Ricchieri donated his palace to the city of Pordenone, to transform it into a cultural center. After restorations, necessary due to the poor state of conservation of the building, in 1972 the Civic Art Museum of Pordenone was inaugurated, custodian of many works destined to grow thanks to donations from collectors or the artists themselves. After being closed for a few years for renovation work, in 1996, Palazzo Ricchieri was reopened to the public in a new guise, with a renewed setup of the exhibition rooms, which host the most significant works of art of the Museum: paintings on wood or canvas, drawings, frescoes, wooden sculptures, furniture, goldsmith and ceramic objects, created from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The large entrance opens onto the public street, the portico, where carriages used to enter, which also led to the palace’s internal courtyard, where the stables, service rooms, warehouses were located. A large stone staircase leads to the two upper floors, where the family lived. On each floor there is a large hall, with windows overlooking the street and the internal courtyard, used as a hall of honor and representation to receive guests, and the smaller side rooms, used privately by the family. Ascending the staircase, you can see, painted on the wall, the large coat of arms of the Ricchieri, divided into four parts with two silver eagles and two flowering garlands on a red background. The portraits below represent some of the most important members of the family, who were leaders, politicians, merchants, men of the church.

Civic Art Museum of Pordenone Hours: from Tuesday to Saturday 3:30 PM/7:30 PM Sunday 10:00 AM/1:00 PM – 3:30 PM/7:30 PM.

6 Civic Museum of Natural History of Pordenone (Amalteo Palace)

The Civic Museum of Natural History of Pordenone, founded in 1970 by bringing together the naturalistic and scientific heritage of the Silvia Zenari Naturalistic Society, is housed in the sixteenth-century Amalteo Palace. It includes the permanent exhibitions of the bird rooms, which house collections of local species and exotic ones by Oddo Arrigoni degli Oddi, including the colorful hummingbirds, the dioramas room, with reconstructions of habitats and local environments, the Theatrum Naturae room, and the cabinet of curiosities. In the prehistoric section, there are reconstructions of two different moments of the Italian Quaternary: a diorama faithfully reconstructing the camp of Homo erectus found at Isernia; a fine painting and the imposing reconstructions of a mammoth and a woolly rhinoceros. The Rimoli collection is interesting, the most complete collection of minerals from the Alpe Adria.

Opening hours of the Civic Museum of Natural History of Pordenone: Tuesday to Saturday 3:30 PM/7:30 PM Sunday 10:00 AM/1:00 PM – 3:30 PM/7:30 PM.

7 Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art of Pordenone

The particular nature of the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art of Pordenone has led to following a dual arrangement: by subject (arranged chronologically) and by destination, making room for the testimonies of sacramental practice and devotion. In the composition of paintings, sculptures, furnishings, and various furniture from the 7th century to contemporary times, the work of artists of various calibers (from the sculptors Alvise Casella, Giovanni Martini, Orazio Marinali, to the painters Pomponio Amalteo, Francesco Guardi, Nicola Grassi, Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo, Michelangelo Grigoletti and others) efforts were made to prioritize items of local origin, resorting to neighboring geographical areas to fill any iconographic gaps. Resulting from ancient deposits, donations, or custody trusts, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art of Pordenone presents its collections arranged in a clear and elegant manner.
Opening hours of the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art of Pordenone: Tuesday 09:00/13:00; Wednesday and Thursday 09:00/13:00 / 14:30/18:30; Friday 14:30/18:30; Saturday 09:00/12:30.

Archaeological Area of Pordenone

8 West Friuli Archaeological Museum, Pordenone

Just three kilometers from the center of Pordenone, is the West Friuli Archaeological Museum, opened to the public after the restoration of the Torre Castle. It houses in its rooms the numerous artifacts collected by the last member of the family residing in the manor, Count Giuseppe di Ragogna, during his activity as an archaeologist. The exhibited artifacts come from all over western Friuli and reconstruct a broad historical overview, from prehistory to the Renaissance. The West Friuli Archaeological Museum of the Municipality of Pordenone preserves some artifacts coming from the Palù of Livenza, those that entered the Museum since the 70s, when the rediscovery of the site began and the first ceramics were recovered, others instead assigned in deposit since 2006.
West Friuli Archaeological Museum Opening Hours: Friday and Saturday 3:00 PM / 6:00 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM / 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM / 6:00 PM. July-August: Friday and Saturday 3:00 PM / 7:00 PM; Sunday 10:00 AM / 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM / 7:00 PM.

9 Archaeological area Roman Villa of Torre, Pordenone

The excavation of the Roman Villa of Torre is due to Count Giuseppe di Ragogna, who between 1950 and 1952 unearthed the structures of part of a vast residential-productive complex, located near the current course of the Noncello river, richly decorated with refined frescoed plasters and precious marbles. Information: opening for groups on request at the Archaeological Museum of Western Friuli (tel. 0434-541433). Free admission.

What to see around Pordenone

The itinerary of Pordenone and surroundings, goes through San Vito al Tagliamento, Maniago, Spilimbergo, Valvasone, Sacile to reach Sesto al Reghena. The area is dotted with towns with centuries-old history, still told today by the appearance and ancient style of the buildings.

10 Sesto al Reghena

After discovering the city of Pordenone, the visitor can start exploring its province beginning from the town of Sesto al Reghena whose streets tell a millenary story. Especially interesting is the abbey of S. Maria in Sylvis, a true jewel of medieval architecture that houses a treasure of frescoes.

11 San Vito al Tagliamento

The journey continues in the town of San Vito al Tagliamento where centuries unfold along its streets, from the Roman era to the medieval age, well represented by the ancient walls that once defended the village and its towers. Also not to be missed is the Church of Santa Maria dei Battuti, a splendid example of Renaissance architecture.

12 Valvasone

Leaving San Vito, you can continue to Valvasone, one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of Italy”: developed entirely around the castle, the village is a maze of medieval alleys and small squares. The arcades that embellish many of the numerous noble houses in the historic center, often decorated with coats of arms and statues, are splendid.

13 Sacile

In the province of Pordenone, the town of Sacile, nicknamed the Garden of the Serenissima, definitely deserves a visit. The town rises on the banks of the Livenza river and is arranged in a maze of alleys, streets, and small bridges offering enchanting views. Absolutely not to be missed in Sacile are the Cathedral of San Nicolò, the Little Church of the Madonna della Pietà, Piazza del Popolo, the Municipal Loggia, and the Ragazzoni-Flangini-Biglia Palace.

14 Maniago

A true gem of the itinerary is Maniago, a town famous for the traditional production of blades and knives, an art that local blacksmiths have cultivated and perfected since the fifteenth century.

15 Spilimbergo

The last stop of the visit around Pordenone can be the splendid village of Spilimbergo. The town, known for its mosaic tradition and for the famous Friuli School of Mosaicists, developed in the medieval and Renaissance periods and is surrounded by three defensive walls. Besides the walls, the castle, and the eastern Tower, the historic center deserves attention for the Painted House, frescoed in the 16th century with scenes from the life of Hercules. A visit to Pordenone and surroundings is more than a weekend idea, given the wealth of attractions in the provincial towns.

16 What to eat in Pordenone

Pordenone is influenced by the entire region. The main dishes are cold cuts (pitina, salam tal aset), bean and barley soups, gnocchi, risottos, and orzotti. And then: frico and polenta (a classic of the entire region), musetto with brovada (pork snout with turnips macerated in wine) and cod. Among the sweets, the “biscotto pordenone” is a must.

17 Where to sleep in Pordenone

Pordenone is a quiet city that boasts a fair hotel offer, as well as culinary. It is not difficult to find good accommodation also considering the extra-hotel offer. In Pordenone, however, we recommend staying in a hotel to be searched among the dozens of hotels available on the website of our partner, Booking.com.