Portogruaro, to be visited for the charm of the Lemene river and the ancient noble residences.

Founded as a river port in the 12th century, Portogruaro, also known as the ‘little Venice of the mainland’, is an elegant town less than thirty kilometres from the beach of Bibione, where it is possible to spend a pleasant day strolling along the arcades of the ancient medieval and Renaissance palaces, shopping in the elegant shops in the centre or among the stalls of a market with a centuries-old tradition, stopping for lunch along the river or discovering the frescoes hidden in ancient churches.

The hub of the city is Piazza della Repubblica, which houses the symbols of Portogruaro: the 1494 Pilacorte well with its characteristic bronze cranes and the Town Hall.

The Gothic-style town hall is a perfect harmony of lines between the central body dating back to the 14th century and the side wings from the 16th century: built in exposed brickwork and crowned by elegant battlements, its interior preserves 16th-century frescoes and paintings by the futurist painter Luigi Russolo, born in Portogruaro in 1885.

Behind the Town Hall, one of the most fascinating views of Portogruaro opens up: on the banks of the Lemene River, where the fish market used to take place, admire the ancient late 12th-century mills, now used as an art gallery, and the Oratory of the Pescheria, a delightful little wooden chapel from the 17th century.

Not far away, your gaze will be attracted by the curious leaning Romanesque bell tower, which seems to almost rest on the side of the Cathedral of St Andrew, the city’s main church consecrated in 1833.

The neoclassical cathedral, with Renaissance modules, houses several paintings inside, including a valuable copy of the original altarpiece by Cima da Conegliano Incredulità di San Tommaso, dating back to 1504 and housed in the National Gallery in London.

Then, crossing one of the many bridges over the Lemene river, you will be enchanted by the magnificent view of the ancient palaces reflected in its waters: these are the magnificent noble residences dating back to the 15th-16th century, built in the Venetian Gothic style with the characteristic trefoil arches.

Once upon a time, the façades of these buildings were frescoed like precious jewels: if you look at the stupendous cycle of frescoes in Palazzo Marzotto dating back to the 16th century, you can only get a vague idea of what Portogruaro looked like at the beginning of the 19th century.

Concordia Sagittaria

Just 2 km from Portogruaro is Concordia Sagittaria, an ancient Roman colony dating back to the 1st century B.C., which owes its name to an arrow factory (sagittae) from the 3rd century A.D.
of which numerous traces have been found.

Various excavation campaigns within the historic city have uncovered various finds from both the Roman and early Christian periods, some of which are preserved in the archaeological museums of Concordia and Portogruaro and some of which can be visited in the city, such as the remains of a Roman road.