Il Maresciallo Radetzky
In the Church of San Nicolò, the famous Marshal Radetzky married a Countess Strassoldo, and then lived in the main palace of the Castello di Sopra.
The main palace is composed of numerous halls; on the ground floor, we find the entrance hall, which leads to the viceroy's sitting room and the typical Friulian kitchen; it also allows access to a large garden terrace and through a corridor, it is possible to reach the guard room and the cellar.
Access to the main floor is via a solemn stone staircase that leads to an elegant balcony overlooking the parish church; to the left is the Salone degli Imperatori, to the right are the Sale dello Stemma, della Stufa, and that of the Governor.
Elegantly furnished and heated by fireplaces and ancient stoves, the rooms are certainly evocative, with precious wooden floors and ceilings and walls, partly frescoed, adorned with ancient paintings.
Behind the main palace extends the park, established around the mid-1700s. The ancient late Baroque layout is recognizable in the large orangery, surrounded by powerful 18th-century columns. As evidence of the ancient presence of the garden, in the middle of the park itself, there is an imposing Magnolia Grandiflora.
Legends
In this atmosphere, many legends linger.
The first suggests that the name originated from Rambaldo di Strassau, a valiant commander of the Roman general Flavio Ezio, who fought against Attila when he destroyed Aquileia.
A more romantic one, which originates from a true event that occurred in the 4th century and sparked fierce battles between free and ministerial feudal lords, tells that the beautiful Ginevra Strassoldo was kidnapped by the suitor Federico di Cucagna, right after her marriage to Odorico di Villalta and that she turned to stone to resist the suitor, coming back to life only when her beloved husband found her and kissed her, after a thousand adventures.
Excerpt from www.castellodistrassoldo.it
Connections...
Another curiosity links Strassoldo to the nearby village of Palmanova.
It happened that, on October 16, 1593, in the Castle of Strassoldo, the long phase of laying the first stone of the Star City was concluded.
On that date, the five general commissioners, the engineers, and the "capi da guerra" signed the "terminatione" of the place and the shape of the fortress. (Information taken from Palmanova, by Francesco Antonini, Zel Edizioni, 2021)