For no particular reason I had the feeling that Pordenone was a quaint small village, so we were quite surprised to find ourselves driving into a busy sizeable town. We drove through the newer outer areas and soon found the centre of the old town and set off to discover the delights of Pordenone.
The town is in the north east of Italy in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It dates from the Middle Ages and like most Italian towns has a complex history. It was originally a port on the Noncello River and flourished in the 14th century due to the river trade. In fact the name of the town comes from an old name which meant Port on the Noncello River.
These days the sleepy little river still runs through the town, with little evidence of its previous importance.
The construction of the Pontebbana road and the railway led to the decline of the port but the growth of industrial development. Pordenone is a well to do town, with lovely shops lining the delightful Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The street has excellent examples of Venetian porticoes and is known as the “Waterless Grand Canal”.
One shop in particular drew me in. I did not leave empty handed.
My camera battery died in Pordenone, so I can’t show you all the great things we found, but I did capture some of the essence of the town.
The church dedicated to St George was built in 1588 with several subsequent renovations. The bell tower, which is unusually built to one side of the church, was added in 1852.
The Gothic Communal Palace was built between 1291 and 1395. The clock tower of the loggia was added in the 16th century.
As you can see, the weather was mixed. The sky was cloudy, then blue, then cloudy again. Just as we were leaving, I looked up to see this amazing light.
We only spent half a day in Pordenone, but we would like to return. It would be an excellent place to use as a base to explore the region, one where we have not spent a lot of time.