Socio Cultural Event

Cordovado and Sesto al Reghena

A dive into the history of two Friulian villages

A guided tour to visit two beautiful villages that preserve buildings telling the story of this part of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The tour includes a stop for participants to taste the flavors of Friuli.

Departure from Lignano at 14.30 and return by 19.00.

Reservations are open on the online registration form.

Day 3

Friday

20 October

14.30 - 18.30 Tours
  • Tour 3
  • Date: Friday 20 October 2023
  • Time: 14.30 - 18.30
  • Bus tour
  • Languages: English, German
  • Wine and food testing included
  • Cost: 59 EUR

Cordovado 

One of the "Borghi più belli d'Italia" (most beautiful villages in Italy), Cordovado is an ancient medieval town that features a well-preserved historical centre: the castle, the area of the ancient St. Andrew's Parish Church and the area of the seventeenth-century Sanctuary of the Virgin and convent of the Dominican Friars, which link the older borough, situated in a fortified area, to the "New Borough", built in the Renaissance.
It is worth mentioning two noble dwellings, which date back to the eighteenth century: Villa Attimis and Palazzo Ridolfi, also called Palazzo del Capitano.
Cordovado Castle, built on a “castelliere”, prehistoric fortress and subsequent Roman settlement, was constructed in the 11th century as protection against raids by the Hungarians.
The favorable geographical position of the fortress near a ford of the Tagliamento River (hence the name “curtis-vada”) allowed the castle to acquire great importance over time to the point of becoming a summer residence for the Bishops of Concordia.
In the sixteenth century, after its collapse caused by a violent earthquake in 1511, the current palazzo Villa Freschi Piccolomini was built upon the foundations of the ancient manor. Two shielded towers and part of a well-preserved wall are all that remain of the original castle. Within this space are a 12th century chapel, a 15th century farm building, the impressive villa, a romantic park from the early 19th century, and medieval houses.
The nineteenth-century park that surrounds the villa was created by Count Sigismondo Freschi at the beginning of 1800 recovering medieval remnants reinterpreted in a landscape and still retains original plants of the time.
At the exit of the park today there is a labyrinth in the shape of the sun composed of Damascene rose plants to walk along the intoxicating scents, immersed in the light, colors and extraordinary energy of roses.

Sesto al Reghena


The village of Sesto al Reghena, of pre-Roman origin, saw its greatest development thanks to the foundation of the Benedictine Abbey in the first half of the eighth century and the donation of the Lombards in 762 followed by numerous others.
In the Abby square, you can admire the City Hall, where the abbots used to reside, the Abbey Chancellery, the seat of civil power in medieval times, and the 11th – 12th century belfry together with the Grimani Tower, the only surviving defence tower of the seven that once surrounded the monastery.

The ancient Benedictine Abbey of Sesto al Reghena, founded during the first half of the VIII century, hosts a wide exhibition of tombstones and sculptures, dating back to the Roman Age, right up to the Middle Ages and it is decorated with a cycle of frescos by the school of Giotto.
The Benedictine Abbey of Sesto al Reghena was devastated in 899, it was rebuilt as a fortified building and took on the looks of a Medieval castle. The parts still re­maining of the original Abbey are the entrance tower, the Basilica, the Abbey's residence (which is now the Town Hall), the Abbey chancellery and the presby­tery.
In the crypt, rests Saint Anastasia's funeral urn, dating back to the Longobard age, the 15th century Pietà in sand stone and the Annunciation dated 14th century.
The Benedictine Abbey has been adorned since its origins by donations from Charlemagne, depicted in the cycle of chivalric frescoes (of a profane nature) of the loggia located to the left of the entrance.