Castello di Pinzano

The oldest known document referring to the Counts of Pinzano dates back to the 12th century. Vassals of the Duke of Carinthia, closely related to the Counts of Ragogna, the Pinzanos held the castle up until 1344, when family contrasts came to a bloody end and Patriarch Bertram di Saint Geniès divested them of their estate. A few years later in 1352 the fief was granted to the Savorgnan, who kept it until the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797. The fortified complex extended over large tracts of land and was protected by walls, ramparts and towers; its defensive works and natural defences (the castle stood on a crag overlooking the River Tagliamento) rendered its sieze an almost impossible feat. Centuries of neglect and recent earthquake damage have almost wiped out every trace of the fortress: the only remains are fragment of walls lying in the woods. The ruins are surrounded by a magnificent natural environment, which can be fully appreciated from a lane leading to the castle.