The city of the river and connections

The River Noncello has burst its banks on several occasions, and each time it has flooded the interior of the Church of the Holy Trinity, which stands on the southern bank of the town. Outside, on the left-hand side of the façade, a number of plaques commemorate those tragic floods: those of 1928, 1965, 1966 – when the water reached 18.51 metres – and 2002.

Long and complex restoration works followed these floods. The church was built in the mid-sixteenth century, and its walls are covered with frescoes that form a small anthology of Renaissance and Mannerist painting inspired by the work of the great master Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis, known as Il Pordenone. These include frescoes by Pomponio Amalteo (1505–1588), Giovanni Maria Zaffoni (1510–1558) and Girolamo del Zocco (c. 1547–1584).

Dove si trova: Viale delle Grazie, 55, 33170 Pordenone PN

The artist Giuseppe Veneziano (born 1971) is an internationally renowned figure of the New Pop movement. Having already taken part in the Biennials of Venice, Prague and Saint Petersburg, he creates ironic and irreverent works drawing on subjects from current affairs and civil society, as well as from cinema, history, fiction, politics and art history. It is precisely to art history that he turns for his first mural created in Pordenone as part of the Pop Re-Generation project in 2015.

The work depicts a life-size Vincent van Gogh painting his famous sunflowers using a spray can. The image is a perfect expression of the ideas of the Italian Newbrow movement, of which Veneziano is one of the leading figures.
The subjects and visual language of this artistic current are chosen with the aim of overcoming the traditional opposition between popular art (lowbrow) and high culture (highbrow). The result is consistently works that speak to everyone without sacrificing depth.

Dove si trova: Piazzetta Calderari, 33170 Pordenone PN

Completed up to the belfry in 1347, the bell tower of San Marco, rising 72 m tall, is a true late-medieval architectural gem in the heart of the city.

At the base of the shaft there is a room with an external entrance, lit by small rectangular windows, once used as a prison, recalling the earlier presence of a civic tower. A blend of religious and civic functions, the bell tower is marked by the strong vertical thrust of its structure, culminating in a kind of crenellation achieved solely through brickwork.
The bells were renewed in 1982 — with the exception of one dating back to 1627 — and were solemnly inaugurated on 30 April in the presence of Pope John Paul II. Inside the Duomo Concattedrale di San Marco, a bronze bust commemorates the pontiff’s historic visit.

Dove si trova: Piazza San Marco, 33170 Pordenone PN

From the walled town, you cross a small bridge to suddenly find yourself in a suspended plaza; it forms part of the architectural complex designed by the architect Gino Valle (1923–2003) between 1972 and 1982 on the site of the former Galvani ceramics factory, which the people of Pordenone have nicknamed the “Bronx”.

Filling this vast space is “L’Alfabetiere dei Poeti”, an installation designed by the Pordenonelegge Foundation and sponsored by the local council.

The series of enormous yellow letters that appeared along the city’s streets in the 2019 edition was completed in 2022, thanks to crowdfunding, a collective funding model. The 23 letters, standing up to two metres tall and weighing three tonnes, were ‘adopted’ by companies, public bodies, communities, as well as families and residents of Pordenone.
The alphabet installation is now a permanent feature that celebrates the identity of the ‘city of letters and poetry’.

Dove si trova: Via Codafora, 33170 Pordenone PN

Walking through Piazza della Motta in the evening, you may come across striking geometries of light.

The first stands beside the present-day Casa della Musica, the eighteenth-century volume of the former Monte di Pietà, recognisable by the winged lion of the Serenissima above the entrance portal. The light outlines a seventeenth-century building, refined with four arches and demolished in the 1960s. At the time, it was nicknamed “nobile interrompimento” (“noble interruption”) because it obstructed the growing flow of traffic during the economic boom.

Behind the former Monte di Pietà, other beams of light trace the outline of a small cluster of humble houses with a courtyard and a central well, known as “Borgo drio il monte” (“Quarter behind the monte”).

These interventions cast a light of memory on a city in constant transformation.

Dove si trova: Piazza della Motta, 4, 33170 Pordenone PN

Your route began with the mural of an unexpected Van Gogh. Now you can encounter two more, showing how naturally this art form has been embraced within the city’s spaces.

On the wall of the Avis Pordenone branch office, you can admire the mural “Il Dono” by Marco Gortana. Commissioned by the association itself and created in 2023, the work is aimed particularly at young people to convey the importance of an act of pure generosity. The young street artist has depicted the small square in his unmistakable style: marker strokes, flat colour blocks and a wealth of detail.
In Pordenone, Gortana has also left a mural inside Park Dante: a bird’s-eye view of the city, strictly in black and white.

Throughout his artistic career, he has produced many black-and-white cityscapes, from Granada to Rovigo.

Dove si trova: Piazzetta del Donatore, 33170 Pordenone PN

In the historic Piazza della Motta, Teatro Urbano 2027 (TU27) takes shape—an installation that turns public space into an open-air stage. Through a system of image projections and sound diffusion, the paving of the square and the façades of the surrounding buildings become living scenographies for a programme that blends theatre, cinema, dance and music.

From late March 2026, as part of the programme for Pordenone Capitale della Cultura 2027, a rich schedule of live performances and multimedia content unfolds in a unique atmosphere, with the aim of transforming public space into a place of culture.

Dove si trova: Piazza della Motta, 33170 Pordenone PN

In the courtyard of the former convent of San Francesco, we come across a work by a great contemporary artist: “Piccolo colloquio romano” (1957) by Pietro Consagra (1920–2005).

The sculptor, one of the leading figures in international abstract art, revolutionised the concept of sculpture with his ‘Colloqui’: the work is no longer an isolated monument, but becomes slender and frontal. Using bronze, iron or wood, the artist creates flat, perforated surfaces that ‘interact’ with the surrounding space.

This two-dimensional form invites the viewer into a direct engagement, almost a dialogue on equal terms. As the title suggests, the aim is to bring art closer to people, transforming the sculptures into living surfaces capable of stimulating the imagination and fostering new social connections.

Dove si trova: Via della Motta, 13, 33170 Pordenone PN