Pordenone: what to do in a day

Let's start our tour from the symbol of Pordenone's history, the river Noncello, or rather from the suggestive stone bridge over it, called the Adam and Eve Bridge. Once you cross it, you will leave the Flu Park behind you and enter the city centre. The bridge was built in the sixteenth century as a link between the centre, the port, and the church of the Holy Trinity. On either side of the bridge, you can admire two beautiful stone statues representing Adam and Eve, but strangely enough if you look closely you will realise that they are not Adam and Eve, but Jupiter and Juno.

Once you have crossed the bridge you will be near the Duomo or the Pordenone’s Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mark. Built around 1300, initially in Roman-Gothic style, it has undergone various changes over the years, giving it a mix of shapes and styles. Its façade is not the most memorable, but inside you will be enchanted by the various chapels decorated with frescoes and paintings of great value. Among these, you will find the most important piece of art in the city, the painting of the Misericordia by the city's most famous painter, Il Pordenone. Next to the cathedral, you won't be able to miss the main symbol of the city with its 72-metre high, the bell tower, considered one of the most beautiful in northern Italy.

Continuing towards the centre, you will come across one of the city's most characteristic buildings that will take you back in time, the Town Hall. Built around 1300 in Gothic style, with two turrets on either side, a balcony, and an astronomical-lunar clock, the palace seems to have remained intact since the Middle Ages. It is possible to enter the hallway on the ground floor, but for a more evocative experience, we suggest you visit it close to sunset or in the evening with the warm, soft lights creating a unique atmosphere.

Next to the Town Hall, you can find the oldest palace in the city, Palazzo Ricchieri in Venetian style, now housing the Civic Art Museum. The noble Ricchieri family donated their palace to the city to become a cultural centre, and in 1972 the museum was opened. At the entrance, a wide stone staircase takes you to the two floors with paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and furniture from the Middle Ages to the present day. Of particular note are the detailed decorations on a side of the ceiling and the paintings of some of Ricchieri family's members.

At the Town Hall, you are literally in the heart of the city centre on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the long pedestrian street where you can stroll pleasantly until Piazza Cavour. A picturesque walk under elegant porticoes with a succession of craft shops selling typical products and art, boutiques, shops, and many historic bars that bring life and cheer to the city. You will be surprised by the cleanliness and decorum of the shop windows, and fascinated by the architecture of the various historic buildings that still have Venetian and Renaissance-style frescoes on their facades. You can also lose yourself in the many alleyways that will take you straight to a typical restaurant or a fine café.

If you love or are curious about unconventional art, then you cannot miss the PAFF! or Palazzo Arti Fumetto Friuli (Palace of Comic Art of Fiuli). Located in the beautiful Galvani Villa, this cultural space will allow you to perceive art in new ways and get to know the works of the world's most famous cartoonists. A different and innovative museum with multimedia and interactive paths that will immerse you in a whole new dimension.

In Pordenone you can also immerse yourself and relax in nature, stroll along tree-lined avenues or lie down on a lawn to have a drink. All this is possible in Parco San Valentino, just a few minutes from the centre. It is known as the lungs of the city and it covers an area of 60,000 square metres where you can admire a wide variety of plants and trees. Here you will be intrigued by a building or 'villa' on the banks of the pond, formerly a cellar and granary, and a stone structure on a rise, once a former icehouse belonging to the Marchi family, who once owned the land.