Palazzo Panigai Ovio (Panigai di Pravisdomini)

Some Portogruaro documents, dating from the 12th century, record the name of Artico de Panialis as the founder of the Panigai family. The family were mentioned again in 1326, when Nicolò, Leonardo, Giucubo and Falcomaro di Panigai were banished from the Patriarchate, having sided with the Count of Camino against Paganus, Patriarch of Aquileia. In 1396 the fief was granted to Giovanni and Federico di Panigai. Around the end of the 16th century the castle had no walls and few houses, “except the residence of the Lords”. We do not know what happened to the fortress in the two following centuries; probably it was considered redundant from a military point of view and subsequently abandoned. In the 18th century a palatial residence was built in its place, maybe partially using its original structures. The plan of Panigai Castle is described in two drawings, one kept in the Joppi archives and the other in the Panigai archives.