Archive for 'Northeast Italy'

In the last post, we discussed the charming and pretty town of Pordenone and its many architectural gems. However, that isn't all there is to the town. In fact, it has a lot to offer a visitor. In addition to everything else, Pordenone is a cultural hub that plays host to many different events throughout the year. One of these is the book festival Pordenone Legge, which has been taking place for over a decade and sees the town taken over by book stalls, interviews with both Italian and international writers, and lectures by journalists and scholars for a week each September.

Pordenone has also been the primary host to the Giornate del Cinema Muto, a festival dedicated to silent film, since 1981. Taking place each October, the festival was the first, largest and most important international festival dedicated to silent film. Named as one of the top 50 unmissable film festivals in the world according to Variety, it is a unique experience that any movie lovers visiting the city will enjoy. Additionally, the FMK International Short Film Festival takes place in the town on an annual basis, as well.

The pretty town of Pordenone is the main comune of the province of Pordenone in the northeastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Settlements have dotted the surrounding area since the time of the Romans but the town of Pordenone itself was not actually established until during the Middle Ages, when it was founded as a port town on the Noncello river. In fact, the town's very name comes from the Latin Portus Naonis, meaning “port on the Noncello River”.

Like the rest of Italy, the town passed through plenty of different hands and rules throughout the ages and by the 13th century, it came into the possession of the Habsburg family. It flourished over the next few decades and gained city status in 1314. In the 16th century, it came under the rule of the Republic of Venice and a new port was built in town. Annexed to Italy in 1866, the town further flourished under industrialisation and though the failure of the cotton sector threatened the town's prosperity in the early 20th century, the raising of local firm Zanussi to the status of a world giant of household appliances after WWII helped stabilise the economic situation. In 1968, the city became the capital of the province of the same name.

The Castello di Gorizia, or Castle of Gorizia, is an 11th century beauty located on a hill that both boasts an amazing panoramic view over Gorizia and is positioned close to the heart of its centre. First recorded in a document from 1001, the castle grew in size and power over the years. Today, the building largely reflects enlargements and changes made between the 13th and 16th centuries. However, during World War I the castle was bombed and badly damaged, leaving little more than a ruin and was actually rebuilt in 1934-37, following its original 16th century design. This was effectively executed and the castle still retains an authentic medieval appearance.

Trieste is an incredibly pretty seaside city in the north of Italy and there are plenty of beautiful buildings all around it but one of the most striking of them all is the Faro della Vittoria, or Victory Lighthouse. The tallest landmark in Trieste, it is built on Gretta Hill and located to the north of the city centre. Built to commemorate fallen soldiers during WWI, light the Gulf of Trieste and celebrate the annexation of the city to the Kingdom of Italy, it was begun in 1923, according to the design of Arduino Berlam.

The staff here at Easy Reserve (who run the websites Italy Villas, Tuscany Villas, Easy Reserve and more) is made up of both Italians and passionate Italophiles and we thought, who better to give you insight on the best places to visit and the lesser-known, hidden gems in Italy? Here are some of our members of staff's picks of their favourite spots in Italy and why they made them fall in love!

1. Trieste's Piazza Unità d'Italia

One of our staff members is from Venice, has family from the south of Italy and has spent his university years in Bologna but his pick is actually a magical corner of Trieste! Specifically, he singled out the Piazza Unità d'Italia, “because it is surrounded by beautiful buildings and...one side of the piazza is actually the sea, the Gulf of Trieste. So, especially at night, with the lights and everything, there is a really nice atmosphere.”