Spilimbergo

In Spilimbergo, one does not really know where to start. The mosaics? The Cathedral? The Castle? You name it. Certainly there is the historically strategic geographical position: a hill overlooking the Tagliamento valley, at a point from which traffic on the fords could be controlled since Roman times.

In the lower part of the city, the Friuli Mosaic School is a must-see. You can see lively works in the art technique that has made Spilimbergo famous, and see young people at work who are more than just apprentices.

But then there is the historical centre. At the beginning of its street axis, Corso Roma, the 14th-century Western Tower displays a majestically frescoed Lion of St Mark, while along the transversal Via Mazzini are the churches of St John the Baptist, a 14th-century church with a frescoed vault from the 18th century, and St Joseph and St Pantaleon, with a wooden choir from the late 15th century. Beyond the Eastern Tower, one finds oneself in the serenity of the square with the Municipal Loggia and the Cathedral of St Mary Major. The church is of 13th- and 14th-century origin: beyond the portal, the work of a Campionese master, an impressive cycle of 14th-century frescoes can be seen in the apses, noting also the early 16th-century altarpiece in the Rosary Chapel in the right aisle, the organ doors painted by Pordenone, and the crypt.

Immediately behind it is the Castle, which has existed since at least the 12th century on the site of a Roman fortress, enlarged mainly between the 14th and 15th centuries. It is a complex of several buildings with friezes and frescoes, including those on the façade of the Painted Palace. The stone balconies are the 15th-century work of the Ticino sculptor Giovanni Antonio Pilacorte: other works of his are in the cathedral.

Further north, beyond Via di Mezzo, the area of Via Valbruna lines the alleyways with a series of late-medieval houses.