PortogruaroCity on the River Lémene

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is not known, even if the firstknown document dates backto 10 January 1140, when thebishop of Concordia, Gervino,stipulated a contract withsome merchants, grantingthem a plot of land in order toconstruct a port and buildhouses and warehouses.Until 1420 Portogruaro, e-quipped with its political andadministrative autonomy(council, podestà, statutes)was part of the patriarchy ofAquileia. From 1420, when itbecame part of the Republic ofVenice, Portogruaro lived isgreatest splendour. The citywas enlarged and embel-lished: the medieval accessgates were renovated, stone

bridges were built, and thecommercial middle classflaunted its well-being erectingmagnificent palaces in gothicrenaissance style, often fres-coed with mythologicalthemes.At the fall of Venice in 1797,and following decline of theNapoleon, the city remainedsubject to Austria until 1866,when it became part of the K-ingdom of Italy.Today the city, faithful to its il-lustrious past, is an importantschool centre, and it is tryingto valorise its strengths: cul-ture, the strategic position asgate towards central-easternEurope, and commercial voca-tion.

Portogruaro, main city of East-ern Veneto, has more than25,000 inhabitants. It lies a-long the river Lémene, abouthalfway between Venice andTrieste, at about 20 km fromPordenone and 50 from U-dine, and is a strategic roadand railway communicationjunction.City of medieval origin, it ishead of a large district (about100,000 inhabitants) that ismainly agricultural, commer-cial, and touristic: in fact herethere are two of the mostbeautiful beaches of the Adri-atic Sea, Caorle and Bibione,which during the summer sea-son count millions of tourists.Eastern Veneto, where endless

Portogruaro City on the River Lémene

stretches of corn alternate withordered rows of vines that pro-duce top quality typical wines,was able to preserve very in-teresting nature sites togetherwith precious artistic works: infact, Portogruaro and the en-tire territory are the evidenceof interest of past centuries forthe beauty. From the Romanand early Christian ruins of n-earby Concordia to the Bene-dictine abbeys of Summagaand Sesto al Reghena, fromthe small frescoed churches ofthe nearby towns to the splen-did renaissance palaces of Por-togruaro, everything narratesan ancient civilisation that canstill be felt.The year the city was founded

Aerial view of the historical centre. Pescheria, 15 August celebrations.

Piazza della Repubblica.The square is closed west bythe city palace, the most signif-icant example of public archi-tecture. In gothic style, withvisible bricks, it was built in t-wo phases: the central body inthe XIII century, the two sidesat the beginning of the XVIcentury. The façade is markedby three doors on the groundfloor and six single-lancet win-dows on the main floor, whichcan be accessed through a s-tairway with an Istrian stonerailing. The upper part is re-fined by the merlons with swal-low-tailed forms, also calledGhibelline merlons, and smallbell gable. Inside there are pre-cious works by the futuristpainter Luigi Russolo. In thecentre of the square there is theWorld War I War Memorial,work by Gaetano Orsolini, inbotticino marble from Brescia,inaugurated in 1928 by Crownprince Umberto di Savoia.

Pozzetto delle gru (Cra-nes Well). This is one of thesymbols of the city, sculptedby Giovanni Antonio Pila-corte, Lombard stonecutter, in1494. The local sculptorValentino Turchetto made thebronze cranes in 1928, to re-place the ones removed by theAustro-Hungarians in 1918.

Pescheria. The small wood-en chapel, dedicated to theVirgin Mary, dates back to thefirst half of the ‘600s, when thedevotion for the image of the

Madonna del Carmine, whichis inside the chapel, started tospread. Here, on August 15th

mass is celebrated in themorning and in the evening,there is a feast that is very im-portant for the people of Por-tugruaro with the arrival ofboats from nearby Concordia.

I Mulini (The Mills). Theyare in one of the most fascinat-ing parts of the city. The twomills date back to the XIII cen-tury, and were built at behestof the bishops of Concordia;they belonged to them until1867. After various passages,they were bought by the Townin 1970 and destined as Gal-leria Comunale d’Arte con-temporanea (Town Contem-porary Art Gallery). North ofthe mills, there is the XVI cen-tury bridge of S. Andrea, a lionof St. Mark was replaced on itsbreakwater pillar, to replacethe one destroyed by the

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ty of Trento has been monitor-ing it since 2001 and a projectfor its safety containment ofabout 1.5 million euro hasbeen prearranged.

Duomo di S. Andrea (S.Andrea Cathedral). It is abuilding in neoclassical style,started in 1793 and consecrat-ed on 4 August 1833; it standsin place of a previous church,probably of the XII century,which had an opposite orien-tation with the façade west-ward. The church has threenaves and a semicircular apse,and many canvases of the Ven-to school, from the XVI to XVI-II centuries, are kept in it.Noteworthy is the Presen-tazione di Gesù al Tempio (P-resentation of Jesus in theTemple) by Giovanni Martini(1512-13) in the apse, the pan-el with the Storie di S. Andrea(Stories of S. Andrea) by Pom-ponio Amalteo (1546-47) in

Martiri della Libertà Street.De Goetzen palace.

Via Cavour, portico. S. Andrea Cathedral, Giovanni Martini.“Presentation of Jesus in the Temple”.

Martiri della Libertà Street.Moro palace.

French in 1797, by FAI (FondoAmbiente Italiano) in 2010.

Campanile (Bell-tower).The bell-tower or Municipaltower dates back to the XII-XIIIcenturies. It is 59 m high andslants more than 1 m towardsnortheast, with an inclinationof a few mm per year, proba-bly because of a subsidence ofthe foundations. The Universi-

the choirs of the presbytery,and the Crocifissione (Crucifix-ion) by Palma il Giovane (lateXVI century) above the rightlateral door.

Via Martiri della Libertà(Martiri della Libertà Street).Between via Martiri, from thecathedral, to S. Gottardo gateit is possible to admire impor-tant examples of gothic renais-sance architecture of Portogru-aro: Muschietti palace (no.39), (Moro palace no. 35),Fratto palace (no. 42), Longopalace (no. 36), Muschiettihouse (no. 30), with classicalcolumns and early Christiancapitals (VI century) and richwooden architrave, De Goet-zen palace (no. 23), and DalMoro palace (no. 1), enrichedwith panels and bas-reliefs al-so of Roman period. At thecorner with via S. Pellico thereis the headquarters of the Fon-dazione Musicale S. Cecilia (S.

Cecilia Music Foundation) (ad-jacent to the “L. Russolo”Town Theatre), heir of the Isti-tuto Filarmonico (Philharmon-ic Institute) established in1835, and that organises be-tween August and Septemberthe International Music Festi-val, which reached its 30th edi-tion in 2012.

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S. Gottardo Gate. S. Agnese Gate. S. Gottado Bridge, the 1523 city coat of arms.

S. Giovanni Gate.

Porta S. Gottardo (S. Got-tardo Gate). One of the threeremaining gates, evidence ofthe medieval city surroundedby walls. It dates back to theXII century, renovated in themid XVI century. Beyond thegate the bridge dating back to1523, with the coat of arms ofthe city.

Giardini dell’Abbazia (Ab-bey Gardens). Realised in1928-31, dedicated to IppolitoNievo, whose bust was made

by Valentino Turchetto. In cor-respondence of S. Gottardogate, there once was the gateof S. Nicolò, which was de-molished in 1887.

Villa comunale. Surround-ed by a large park the villadates back to the mid XVI cen-tury, work by Guglielmo daAlzano called Bergamasco.Bought by the Town in 1973,it hosts the city offices and therich “M. Gortani” Paleontolog-ical Museum. Next to the villa,Oratorio di S. Ignazio (S. Igna-zio Oratory), erected in 1682by Giulio Tasca.

Palazzo Marzotto. (Mar-zotto Palace). It is the onlybuilding of the city to havemaintained its entirely fres-coed façade (frescoes datingback to the XVI century withmythological scenes, by Vene-to school). It was restored in2012.

Museo Nazionale Concor-diese. (Concordiese NationalMuseum). The first of Venetoand one of the most ancient inItaly; it was built on initiativeof Dario Bertolini and inaugu-rated in 1888. It has a basili-can layout with three naves. Itcontains important evidencesof roman and early Christianperiod coming especially fromnearby Concordia. There is al-so a remarkable epigraphicand statues collection, as well

as rich collections of coins, s-mall bronzes, and glasses.

Palazzo Altan Venanzio.(Altan Venanzio Palace).Beautiful building of the XVcentury built on a pre-existingone of the XIV century andfrescoed (there are still sometraces) by Giulio Quaglio inthe XVII century. It has beenhosting public offices since1877. On its façade, two pla-ques commemorate Luigi Rus-

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International Music Festival. Marconi Boarding School, internal courtyard.

The Palace once belonging toTravaglini Marostica family.

Marzotto Palace, façade frescoes detail.

solo (1885-1947), and Girola-mo Venanzio (1791-1872).

Chiesa dei Santi Luigi eCristoforo. (Church of theSaints Luigi and Cristoforo). Itis the most ancient in the city;it was probably built beforethe XI century. The façade wasrenovated in the XVIII century.The fresco “Madonna conBambino tra i Santi Cristoforoe Giacomo” (Madonna withchild between the Saints

Cristoforo and Giacomo) byPomponio Amalteo (1532),can be admired in its internal.

Collegio Marconi. (Mar-coni Boarding School). It wasbuilt in the early XVIII centuryas Seminary of the diocese ofConcordia on a pre-existingCrociferi’s convent and hospi-tal. Its main characteristic isan imposing Neo-Doriccolonnade.

Via Cavour. (CavourStreet). It is a quiet and ele-gant street with many Gothic-Renaissance buildings.Noteworthy are: ImpallomeniPalace (No. 3); Dal MoroPalace (No. 7); Nadali House(No. 6) with frescoes alongthe covered walkway; ScarpaBonazza Palaces (No. 10 -12); the palace that once be-longed to the TravagliniMarostica family (No. 16); atthe corner with Bovoloni

lane, at the end of whichthere is a pedestrian bridge onthe river Lémene, allowsreaching the centre of the c-ity; Perrero House (No. 15);and Rubbazzer Palace (No.23).

Porta S. Agnese. (S. Agne-se Gate). Dating back to theearly XIII century, it was re-stored in the XVI century. Itwas bought by the town in1987, and today it hosts, to-gether with the adjacentbuilding, the Museum of theCity.

Porta S. Giovanni . (S.Giovanni Gate). Dating backto the XII century, restored inthe XVI century as the other t-wo, at the time of Venetiangolden age. It was the mainentrance of the city for peopleand goods coming from the n-earby warehouse building.On the southern side there

are traces of lion of St. Marksculpted in 1797.

Chiesa di S. Giovanni. (S.Giovanni Church).The churchdates back to 1338 and it wasonce annexed to a conventheld first by Dominican Friarsand then by the Servite ones.The internal part, with a solenave, is decorated along theentire upper band, by frescoesof the XVI century, renovatedand integrated in the XX cen-tury. Noteworthy is the altar-piece by Leandro da Ponte(1557 – 1622) and a Madonnacon Bambino (Madonna withchild) (around 1430) in Istrianstone, by an unknown sculptorfrom Veneto, worshipped as“Madonna del latte” (Madon-na of milk). In the homony-mous hamlet, at the beginningof October, the Madonna delRosario (Madonna of theRosary) is celebrated.

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S. Agnese Church, “Grief over the dead Christ”. Summaga, abbey.

Chiesa di S. Agnese. (S.Agnese Church). It dates backto the XIII – XIV centuries. Itcontains some paintings byVeneto school, 15 tomb slabs(2 in the church, 13 towardsthe sacristy), and the most in-teresting work the “Compiantosu Cristo morto” (Grief overthe dead Christ), a poly-chrome terracotta by ananonymous sculptor from Pad-ua area (late XV century – ear-ly XVI century).

Anyone has the opportunity tovisit other fantastic places ofthe gorgeous Portogruaro.

The first of these places isthe Abbazia di Summaga(Summaga Abbey). It was founded by the bishopsof Concordia, probably in theX-XI centuries, who gave ittheir protection and privileges.The abbey was given by canon

law to a regular and residentabbot until 1431, when itpassed to Antonio Pancieracardinal of Portogruaro. Themost famous commendatoryabbot was the Venetian CarloRezzonico, who in 1758 be-came pope with the name ofClemente XIII. Carlo Rezzoni-co, in 1740, deeply changedthe church with the new neo-classical style façade and thedemolition of some pillars. Im-portant works of restorationwere carried out on the com-plex in 1927 and 1928, un-covering the frescoes of thecentral apse. In the period be-tween 1960 and 1970, thefrescoes dating back to XV –XVI centuries were brought tolight; the pillars were recon-structed, the arches demol-ished, the ancient windowsreopened, etc. Importantworks were also carried outbetween 1983 and 1993, togive the original colours back

to the central apse. The me-dieval “sacellum” (smallshrine), added to the church inthe XII century with the con-struction of the bell tower, hasat the base a draped designwith monochrome figures,probably inspired by medievalbestiaries, considered one ofthe most complete and signifi-cant expressions of Ro-manesque wall painting(frescoes). The central apse

decoration can be dated backto the early XIII century. Theapse is divided into three sec-tions. In the semi-dome thereis the “Vergine con Bambino”(Virgin with child) within“mandorla” (almond-shapedhalo) supported by four angels;on the sides there are the sym-bolic representation of the fourEvangelists. In the middle sec-tion, there are Christ and thetwelve Apostles, represented

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Concordia Sagittaria, cathedral. Concordia Sagittaria, trichora martyrum.

frontally within false inter-columns. In the lower register,the parable of the “Verginisagge e delle vergini stolte”(Wise and Foolish Virgins) isrepresented. Other frescoes(pillars) date back to the XIVcentury, while those on the leftwall with some saints (Isidoro,Floriano, Lucia, Benedetto,and Urbano) belong to the XVand XVI centuries. A very re-cent restoration (2011) has val-orised the small left apse of theXIII century dedicated to S.Giovanni.

The second place is Con-cordia Sagittaria, connectedto Portogruaro apart from theordinary road system, also bya cycle lane along the riverLémene. It was once called I-ulia Concordia, probablyfounded in 42 B.C., even if set-tlements dating back to theNeolithic period (6th millenni-

um B.C.) were found within itsterritory. It is located at the crossroadsbetween the Postumia and An-nia consular roads. The citydeveloped and became one ofthe centres of diffusion ofChristianity with the consecra-tion of the Basilica Apostolo-rum in 389 by Cromazio,bishop of Aquileia. Notewor-thy are also the cathedral (Xcentury, renovated in the XVIcentury), the excavations be-side and under the cathedral,the magnificent RomanesqueBaptistery with central layoutand three apses, entirely fres-coed with stories from theBible and Saints, built at be-hest of bishop Regimpoto atthe end of the XI century.

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Publishing details: Publication by Amministrazione Comunale (Municipality) of Portogruaro.Texts by Roberto SandronTranslations by Studio Blitz sas/PistoiaPictures: Archivio fotog. SBSAE province of VE, BL, PD, TV - Pro Loco Portogruaro, Federico FavruzzoGraphics by: Compset/Portogruaro.Printing: Tipografia Sagittaria/Concordia SagittariaWeb Site - www.comune.portogruaro.ve.it

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