Just outside the ancient circle, leaning against the gate tower, you can admire this palace with a façade entirely frescoed with mythological motifs. An almost irreverent contrast with the fresco of the Crucifixion by Gasparo Narvesa, which can be seen on the wall of the brick house at the corner.

This house is evidence of a very widespread practice throughout Friuli: that of frescoing noble residences on the external walls. Palazzo Ercole is from the Renaissance period, and its paintings can be divided into four bands. The Stories of Hercules are depicted: from above, you can see the Abduction of Deianira, the Centaur Chiron, a representative of the Spilimbergo family; in the lower bands, there are decorative motifs, quadratures, and two scenes with children, Hercules fighting against the lion.

It is possible that the commission came from one of the Spilimbergo members named Ercole (perhaps Ercole di Francesco documented in 1519), which would explain the choice of the subject depicting some episodes from the life of the Greek hero. Deianira, in fact, represented on the back of the centaur Nessus, was the second wife of Hercules: after the marriage and their long stay in Calydon (the young woman's native country), the two left the city. On the way, they encountered the mythological being who tried to kidnap and rape the woman. But despite his armor made of bow and arrows (clearly visible in the fresco), he was killed by the valiant demigod. The frescoes are all from a period that does not go beyond the mid-1500s.

Texts ViviSpilimbergo - Photo Denis Scarpante