The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy

Spilimbergo

Il borgo

Amid ancient walls and alleys steeped in history, this village fascinates with its medieval splendor.

The majestic cathedral, the frescoed castle, and the mosaic art intertwine in a timeless tale. Here, beauty is reflected in the stones, the colors, and the skilled hands of the master mosaicists.

A composite beauty, Pasolini would say, since in Italian villages, and particularly those in Friuli, "it is not simple but composed: it required the overlay of centuries, the inextricable tectonics of hates and joys".

Spilimbergo takes its name from the Carinthian counts Spengenberg who settled here around the 11th century.

The first document that mentions the name of the "castrum de Spengenberg" is from 1120, but the history of the site is much older, as it was located near the Roman road that, through the Tagliamento, connected Sacile to Gemona and thus to Germany. Additionally, the presence of the "castelliere" of Gradisca on the Cosa attests to a millennia-long continuity of habitation.

The history of the village is intertwined with that of the Lords who were among the most notable in the region and ministeriales of the Patriarch of Aquileia. Against the castle, which they wanted to be very fortified and magnificent, the efforts of numerous adversaries, particularly Ezzelino da Romano and Rizzardo da Camino, were directed.

(Thanks to ViviSpilimergo - Photo Denis Scarpante)