Pordenone: Information from Answers.com

Pordenone was created in the High Middle Ages 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 age. In 1378, after having been administrated by several feudatories, the city was handed over to the Habsburg family, forming an Austrian enclave within the territory of Patriarchate of Aquileia. In the 14th century, Pordenone grew substantially due to the flourishing river trades, gaining the status of city in 1314.

Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

In 1514, it was acquired by the Republic of Venice, under which a new port was built and the manufacturers improved.

After the Napoleonic period, Pordenone was included in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. The railway connection and the construction of the Pontebbana road brought on the decline of the port, but spurred substantial industrial development (especially for the working of cotton). Pordenone was annexed to Italy in 1866.

The cotton sector decayed after the damage of World War I and failed completely after the 1929 crisis. After World War II, the local Zanussi 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 Udine.

After World War II, Pordenone, as well as the rest of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, became a garrison for many military units, in order to prevent an 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 Brigade "Ariete".

Main sights

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, with its characteristic Gothic and Renaissance edifices, some with frescoes.
Cathedral of St. Mark (Duomo) was built from 1363 in Romanesque-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 family of Ricchieri.
The Gothic Communal Palace (1291-1395). The loggia, the pinnacles and the watch-tower, designed by painter Pomponio Amalteo, 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 Archaeological Museum. It was assaulted in 1402 by Imperial 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 Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, a world-famous festival of silent film, since 1981, excepting an eight-year lapse after the host theater, Il Cinema Verdi, was torn down. The nearby town of Sacile hosted the festival from 1999 to 2006.