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Palazzo Comunale, Pordenone

The Friuli region may be one of the last bastions of less explored Italy

. Let’s hope it stays there. I’m risking big just by writing this post. The people are super friendly, and there are not many tourists, especially in the off-season. The food is excellent, and the visual arts range from charming to fascinating. Style developed differently in these godforesaken provinces than they did further south towards Florence. Pordenone is nesteled between mountains and rivers - now a major economic force, but in the 15th and 16th century, a rather sleepy place.

The town of Pordenone: Fabulous painted house facades
The Friulian region has a particularly strong tradition of painting the facades of their palazzi. While this was also often the case in central italy, freak reasons of preservation seem to have shined on pordenone, where so many sixteenth century facades still show their colours. The houses shown here are all along Corso Vittorio Emmanuele, the main drag, which is porticoed. This makes it hard to notice them, so be sure to step out into the street (carefully!) to look up. Read more…