Pordenone is a
comuneIn Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of
Pordenone provinceThe Province of Pordenone is a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pordenone. The territory was carved out of the Province of Udine in 1968....
of northeast
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the
Friuli-Venezia GiuliaFriuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
region.
The name comes from the Latin "Portus Naonis" meaning the port on the river Noncello (Latin
Naon)
History
Pordenone was created in the High
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
as a river port on the Noncello, with the name
Portus Naonis. In the area, however, there were already villas and agricultural settlements in the
Roman ageAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
.
In 1378, after having been administrated by several feudatories, the city was handed over to the
HabsburgThe House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
family, forming an
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n enclave within the territory of the Patriarchal State of Friuli. In the 14th century, Pordenone grew substantially due to the flourishing river trades, gaining the status of city in 1314.
In 1514, it was acquired by the
Republic of VeniceThe Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, under which a new port was built and the manufacturers improved.
After the
NapoleonicThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
period, Pordenone was included in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. The railway connection, including
Pordenone railway stationPordenone railway station serves the city and comune of Pordenone, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northeastern Italy. Opened in 1855, the station is located on the Venice–Udine railway. Although it is not a junction or terminal station, it is used by a great many...
, and the construction of the Pontebbana road brought on the decline of the port, but spurred substantial industrial development (especially for the working of
cottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
). Pordenone was annexed to Italy in 1866.
The cotton sector decayed after the damage of
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and failed completely after the 1929 crisis. After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the local
ZanussiZanussi is an Italian producer of home appliances that in 1984 was bought by Electrolux. Zanussi is a leading brand for domestic kitchen appliances in Europe. Products have been exported from Italy since 1946.-History:...
firm became a world giant of household appliances, and in 1968, Pordenone became capital of the province with the same name, including territory belonging to
UdineThe Province of Udine is a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia. Its capital is the city of Udine....
.
After World War II, Pordenone, as well as the rest of
Friuli-Venezia GiuliaFriuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
, became a garrison for many military units, in order to prevent a Soviet invasion from the east.
The heavy military presence boosted the economy of the once-depressed area.
Pordenone is as now garrison of the
132nd Armored BrigadeThe Ariete Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Italian Army during World War II. It was formed in 1939 as the second armoured division in the Italian Army after the 131 Armoured Division Centauro. The division fought in the North African Campaign until being destroyed during the...
"Ariete".
Main sights
- Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, with its characteristic Gothic
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
edifices, some with frescoes.
- Cathedral of St. Mark (Duomo) was built from 1363 in Romanesque
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
-Gothic style and restored in the 16th and 18th centuries. It houses a famous fresco of San Rocco and an altarpiece by the native Renaissance painter Giovanni Antonio de' Sacchis (commonly known as Il Pordenone). It has a 79 m bell tower.
- Palazzo Ricchieri, today seat of the Town Art Museum. It was originally a tower-house from the 13th century, later adapted as a mansion by the Venetian
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
family of Ricchieri.
- The Gothic Communal Palace (1291-1395). The loggia, the pinnacles and the watch-tower, designed by painter Pomponio Amalteo
Pomponio Amalteo was an Italian painter of the Venetian school.He was born at Motta di Livenza in Veneto. He was a pupil and son-in-law of Il Pordenone, whose style he closely imitated; he inherited Pordenone's studio at Friuli, where he led a long career...
, were added in the 16th century.
- The church of the Santissima Trinità ("Holy Trinity"), alongside the Noncello river. It has an octagonal plant and frescoes by Giovanni Maria Calderari, pupil of Il Pordenone.
- Castello di Torre ("Tower Castle") (late 12th century), residence of the Ragogna family and now seat of the Western Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
Archaeological Museum. It was assaulted in 1402 by ImperialThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
troops, who left in place only a tower.
- Roman Villa of Torre, remains of a patrician villa discovered in the 1950s.
Culture
Pordenone has been the primary host to the Giornate del cinema muto, a festival of
silent filmA silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, since 1981, excepting an eight-year lapse after the host theater, Il Cinema Verdi, was torn down. The nearby town of
SacileSacile is a town and comune in the province of Pordenone, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-east Italy. It is known as the "Garden of the Serenissima" after the many palaces that were constructed along the river Livenza for the nobility of the Most Serene Republic of...
hosted the festival from 1999 to 2006.
Transport
Pordenone railway stationPordenone railway station serves the city and comune of Pordenone, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northeastern Italy. Opened in 1855, the station is located on the Venice–Udine railway. Although it is not a junction or terminal station, it is used by a great many...
, opened in 1855, is located on the Venice–Udine railway. Although it is not a
junctionA junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
or
terminalTerminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
station, it is used by a great many passengers ( 3 million/year).
Twinnings
Spittal an der DrauSpittal an der Drau is located in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia and the administrative centre of the federal state's second largest district, Spittal an der Drau. It lies between the Lurnfeld area and the Lower Drava Valley. The city consists of the seven...
,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, since 1987
San MartínCiudad del Libertador General Don José de San Martín, more commonly known as San Martín is the head city of the General San Martín Partido in the Gran Buenos Aires metropolitan area.-Geography:...
, Argentina, since 2003
People
- Federico Gerardi
Federico Gerardi is an Italian footballer who plays for U.S. Grosseto, on loan from Udinese.-Career:Born in Pordenone, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Gerardi started his career 65 km away at Venezia of Venice, Veneto...
- Stefano Lombardi
Stephano Lombardi is an Italian football defender for Modena F.C..He made his Serie A debut against Piacenza Calcio, on 13 September 1998. Since then, he played Serie A 20 games more....
- Daniele Molmenti
Daniele Molmenti is an Italian slalom canoer who has competed since the mid 2000s. He won five medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with a gold , two silvers , and two bronzes .Molmenti also finished tenth in the K-1 event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.Molmenti was...
- Odoric of Pordenone
Odoric of Pordenone was an Italian late-medieval traveler...
- Il Pordenone
Il Pordenone, byname of Giovanni Antonio de' Sacchis , was an Italian painter of the Venetian school, active during the Renaissance. Vasari, his main biographer, identifies him as Giovanni Antonio Licinio.-Biography:...
- Alessia Trost
Alessia Trost, born in Pordenone on March 1993 is an Italian female high jumper that has won the 2009 World Youth Championship in Athletics in Brixen. Trost has also won the Italian youth championship in 2008. At the first Youth Olympics 2010 she won a silver medal clearing 1.86 meters, to finish...
- Giovanni Maria Zaffoni
Giovanni Maria Zaffoni was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active in Northern Italy near his natal city of Pordenone.He is also known as Giovanni Maria Calderari or as il Calderari...
- Luca Rosetti
- Davide Toffolo
External links