Discover what to do in Portogruaro: Peace Park, the municipal villa, the mills of Sant’Andrea, the church of Sant’Andrea Apostolo, Piazza della Repubblica. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Portogruaro?
The municipality of Portogruaro borders to the north with Gruaro, to the northeast with Teglio Veneto and Fossalta di Portogruaro, to the northwest with Cinto Caomaggiore and Pramaggiore, to the south with Concordia Sagittaria, to the southeast with Caorle and San Michele al Tagliamento, to the southwest with San Stino di Livenza, to the east with Fossalta di Portogruaro and San Michele al Tagliamento, to the west with Pramaggiore, Annone Veneto and San Stino di Livenza.
Bicycle ride in Portogruaro
Visit Peace Park
The recommended bicycle route starts from the parking lot in Piazza Castello, from which you access the Peace Park, a peaceful natural oasis delimited to the northwest by the Lemene River. Set in the historic center of the town and framed by porticoed buildings and ancient canals, the serene green lung is dotted with majestic ancient trees, from horse chestnuts and oaks to cypress poplars, birches, and chestnuts that during the hot summer days offer shelter to visitors with their shade.
Crossed by winding gravel paths, the dense vegetation of the garden envelops a white fountain and a stele that commemorates the foibe martyrs.
From the monument, proceed southeast until you see, through the twisted branches of oaks, plane trees, and poplars, the fascinating 16th-century architecture of the Town Hall Villa of Portogruaro.
A fascinating and distinctive element of the Renaissance-style building is the refined loggia present on both the ground floor and the first floor, punctuated by elegant round arches supported by Corinthian columns.
The Mills of Sant’Andrea
At the end of the walk, leave the lush park behind and reach Via Seminario. From Via del Seminario turn left onto Via Garibaldi, then immediately right onto Via Roma and venture into the historical and cultural heart of this splendid town in the Venetian area.
One of the most enchanting and representative places in Portogruaro is indeed the Mills of Sant’Andrea visible from the massive stone bridge adorned with a statue of the Lion of Saint Mark. Dating back almost a thousand years and bearing the bishop’s coats of arms revealing the patronage, the milling complex used for grinding grain consists of two buildings covered by a hip roof and featuring two wooden wheels powered by the clear waters of the Lemene.
The mills can be visited via a walkway from which you can enjoy a wide-ranging view of the urban landscape that has flourished over the centuries around the resurgence stream that rises from the clear Friulian spring of Casarsa della Delizia.
The Civic Tower
After the visit, cross the Sant’Andrea bridge and proceed east to access Piazza Duomo, from where you can admire the soaring bulk of the civic tower and the church of Sant’Andrea Apostolo.
The austere place of worship is distinguished by a solemn and unadorned front divided vertically into three quadrangular sections, the central one being higher than the lateral ones.
Three wooden doors allow access to the naves internally punctuated by wide round arches supported by massive pillars.
Illuminated by the single-lancet windows opening along the north and south wings, the large central hall is concluded by the semicircular apse.
The contrast between the austere and imposing character of the exteriors, whose overhang over the arcaded houses in Corso Martiri della Libertà forces the viewer to crane their neck to grasp the grandeur of the unfinished facade, and the sophisticated neoclassical pictorial and ornamental apparatus that graces the interiors: the fine moldings, the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian capitals, the bright frescoed dome, the wooden statues of the side altars, generates an exciting surprise effect that makes this thousand-year-old place of worship one of the most memorable and sought-after tourist destinations, as well as one of the most significant monuments in the town.
The Town Hall
Proceed south along Corso Martiri della Libertà passing by Piazza della Repubblica, the cultural and social hub of the town from which rises the town hall, a powerful medieval building built and expanded between the 13th and 16th centuries. In the center of the square, in front of the irregular sloping facade punctuated by Ghibelline battlements of the municipal seat, stands the equestrian monument in honor of the fallen of World War I.
Return journey between nature and history
Leave the square on your right and continue under the porticoes of Corso Martiri della Libertà for about 180 meters until you reach Porta San Giovanni.
Turn right into Via del Rastrello and cross the bridge lapped by the dark swaying algae of the Lemene course enclosed by stone banks from which rise cedars, palms, and shrubs flanked by centuries-old houses, continue until you reach the Tower of Sant’Agnese, then turn right and follow Via Cavour for 210 meters until you find on your left an ancient brick building with a five-light window punctuated by Ionic columns protected by a balustrade.
Turn left into Via Padre Bernardino, then turn right into Viale Luigi Cadorna and continue along the grassy banks of the Gemellaggio path until you reach a small bridge over the canal. Cross the small bridge and proceed north to return to the starting point passing through the Peace Park.
Things to do in Portogruaro: A magical dive into the Middle Ages
If you are wondering what to do in Portogruaro and want to immerse yourself in the evocative medieval atmosphere made of sumptuous crenellated palaces, thousand-year-old stone mills, picturesque porticoed houses, admirable works of sacred architecture, as well as monuments attesting to the glory of the Republic of Venice, a visit to this magical town that revolves around the icy course of the Lemene will be an unforgettable experience!
