Spilimbergo (Spilimberc in Friulian, Spengenberg in German) is an Italian town of 12 103 inhabitants in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, on the right bank of the Tagliamento.
The history of Spilimbergo begins around the 11th
century, when the Spengenberg counts, originally from Carinthia,
moved to the area as vassals of the patriarch of Aquileia. From the
castrum de Spengenberg, as their castle was called, the name of the
village derived.
In truth, the human presence has much more
ancient origins. In the hamlet of Gradisca, in fact, the remains of
a castelliere have been identified, while the castrum itself could
date back to Roman times: through here a road passed which, coming
from Sacile, crossed the Tagliamento and then headed towards
Germany.
In the centuries following the settlement of the
Spengenbergs, Spilimbergo developed both as a military stronghold
and as a commercial transit center. There was a conspicuous
demographic and urban growth, thanks also to the arrival of
"foreigners" such as Lombards, Tuscans and Jews. In 1284, by Count
Walterpertoldo II, the construction of the Cathedral began, one of
the most valuable Romanesque-Gothic monuments in Friuli;
contemporary are the Palazzo del Daziario, the Captain's house and
the Loggia (current town hall). In 1326, on the initiative of the
counts Bregonia and Bartolomeo, the jurisdiction of Spilimbergo even
endowed itself with its own legislative body, the "Statute of the
Land of Spilimbergo".
In 1420 the town followed the fate of
the Fatherland of Friuli and passed to the Republic of Venice.
The war of the League of Cambrai particularly affected the
region which was the scene of the clash between the pro-imperial
(Strumieri) and pro-Venetian (Zamberlani) factions. In 1511 the
castle was attacked and set on fire.
Despite everything, in
the following years Spilimbergo continued its period of economic
prosperity which was also reflected on a cultural level. The
reconstruction of the castle in Renaissance forms and the works left
by famous artists such as Giovanni Antonio Pilacorte, Pordenone,
Pomponio Amalteo, Gasparo Narvesa and Irene di Spilimbergo are from
this period. In the literary field Gian Domenico Cancianini, Eusebio
Stella and Bernadino Partenio stood out, the latter founder of an
academy for the study of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The contribution
transmitted by some dynamic families of bourgeois extraction such as
the Balzaro, the Monaco, the Stella, the Cisternini, the Fannio and
the Santorini is remarkable.
After the fall of the Republic
of Venice (1797) Spilimbergo also went through the convulsive events
of the Napoleonic era and then landed in the Austrian Empire
starting from 1814. Some of its citizens distinguished themselves in
the uprisings of 1848, in particular Giovanni Battista Cavedalis and
Leonardo Andervolti, but only after the third war of independence
(1866) Friuli became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
In recent
years the artistic tradition of the city has not disappeared with
the foundation of the Friuli School of Mosaics, named after Irene di
Spilmbergo.
Spilimbergo was among the municipalities most
affected by the 1976 Friuli earthquake: the town mourned a victim
and saw the devastation of its historical and artistic heritage. The
reconstruction of the following years led to the rebirth of the
city.
The heart of the city is
certainly Corso Roma, which crosses the historic center from east to
west. It is a strolling place overlooked by historic multicolored
buildings.
Traveling along the road starting from the west,
you will immediately encounter the western tower, dating back to the
fourteenth century and which was the entrance to the Borgo Nuovo,
enclosed by the third wall, now disappeared.
Continuing east,
you will first meet Palazzo Monaco and then reach Piazza Garibaldi,
the ideal center of the city. South of the square are the Church of
San Giuseppe and Pantaleone, in which the wooden choir is preserved,
and the Church of San Giovanni.
Continuing further you arrive
at the Eastern Tower, which belonged to the second city wall. Lying
on the tower you can admire the Painted House, with 16th century
frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Hercules.
Corso
Roma ends in Piazza Duomo, bordered to the south by the Cathedral,
dating back to the 13th century. Facing the square, Palazzo de
Daziaro to the west and the Loggia della Macia to the north, on
whose corner column the Macia, unit of length formerly used in trade
is still visible.
From the square, through a bridge over the
ancient moat, you enter the Castle, the easternmost building in the
city, built on the edge of the Tagliamento river. The first document
that speaks of the Castrum de Spengenberg dates back to 1120.
Destroyed by a fire in 1511, it was rebuilt according to Renaissance
schemes. Inside the Palazzo Dipinto and the Palazzo Tadea,
construction completed in 1566 by Tadea, widow of Count Bernardino.
To the north of the castle is the Palazzo di Sopra, recently
restored and now the Town Hall. From the courtyard of the building
you can enjoy a magnificent view over the Tagliamento valley. In
front of the building is the Valbruna district, with its typical
medieval structure.
Between the Castle and the Palazzo di
Sopra, next to the road that descends towards the bed of the
Tagliamento river, there is the small church of the Ancona.
In the hamlet of Baseglia there is the Church of Santa Croce with an
important cycle of frescoes by Pomponio Amalteo.
Another
church with interesting 16th century frescoes is the church of San
Nicolò in Tauriano.