Castello di Porcia

Count Girolamo di Porcia described his family manor in his Descrizione della Patria del Friuli dating from 1567: “Porzia Castle and Estate on the west bank of the River Tagliamento, 26 miles from Udine... The castle is large, with plenty of water and several residential dwellings; there are Doctors and Notaries and attractive houses; it has a handsome palatial residence and two beautiful towers, one of which is believed to be more than 1600 years old, and the other has been built to the design of St Mark’s in Venice and can be climbed on horseback.”

The castle was first mentioned on 11 September 1188, when Guecello I, Count of Prata and administrator of the Church of Ceneda, was granted the estate of Porcia by the Patriarch of Aquileia. Enlarged and embellished over the centuries, following the rise in fortunes of its feudal lords - originally free citizens, they were later invested with the title of counts and princes - the castle was the theatre of innumerable battles and played a prominent role in the history of Friuli.