Polcenigo

Polcenigo
—  Comune  —
Comune di Polcenigo
Polcenigo Location of Polcenigo in Italy
Coordinates: 46°2′N 12°30′E
Country	Italy
Region	Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Province	Province of Pordenone (PN)
Frazioni	Mezzomonte, San Giovanni, Range, Coltura, Gorgazzo
Government
• Mayor	Luigino Del Puppo
Area
• Total	49.2 km2 (19.0 sq mi)
Elevation	42 m (138 ft)
Population (Dec. 2004)
• Total	3,205
• Density	65/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	33070
Dialing code	0434
Website	Official website

Polcenigo (Borc in the local dialect) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 110 km northwest of Trieste, 95 km north of Venice and about 14 km northwest of Pordenone. It has a population of 3,259 and an area of 49.2 km².

Located on the slopes of the Western Carnic Prealps, in a quiet region surrounded by a charming landscape, it is a renowned water springs area characterized by many small streams, torrents, lake-like springs all flowing into river Livenza, whose clear waters are springing in a stunning place called Santissima.

The municipality of Polcenigo contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Mezzomonte, San Giovanni, Range, Coltura, and Gorgazzo.

Polcenigo borders the following municipalities: Budoia, Caneva, Fontanafredda, Tambre.

Demographic evolution

History

Polcenigo's landscape, plenty of streams and springs had been a perfect place for early settlements. Stilt houses were common in the Alpine and Pianura Padana (Terramare) region during Neolithic and Bronze Age and Polcenigo's environment was the ideal place to locate one. Stilt houses were built in the Palu' area, close to Livenza's springs, which is the most ancient settlement of its kind in the whole Region and one of the most valuable of Italy. In the area, that is mostly still buried, many archaeological finds from IV millennium b.C were discovered.

Afterwards, approximately 3000 years ago, Adriatic Veneti settled in the geographical region, leaving bronze archaeological remains.

Another area of great interest is S.Floriano's hill, where archaeologist have found antiquity of an ancient Rome necropolis dated (IV-V sec b.C.).

Geography

Hamlets

"San Giacomo's bell tower.

Polcenigo

The 18th century solid elegance of Palazzo Fullini-Zaja, which keeps inside magnificent stuccoes, and Palazzo Savorgnan-Salice overlook the little gracious square of Polcenigo which Gorgazzo torrent flow through. In the middle of the short slope to the castle hill there is the Church of San Giacomo with the annexed Franciscan friary, the most ancient of the Diocesi of Concordia, mentioned for the first time in 1262. The Church, rebuilt in 1483 and more than once changed and enlarged, preserves interesting frescos of the 14th and 15th centuries, a magnificent organo and a wooden choir of the 18th century. A part of the harmonious cloister, rooms with painted lacunar ceiling and some metopes of 15th century remain of the ancient friary. At short distance there are the Church of Ognissanti and the Church of San Rocco, whose bell-tower was a guard tower of the boundary walls.

The Castle of Polcenigo lies on the highest point of the hill at the back and leads a strategic position viewing over the valley. A legend says that in 875 Charles the Bald gave this place of sighting to a lieutenant, Count Blois of France. In 973 the Bishop of Belluno, whom the county was given by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, reconfirmed the army leader Fantuccio in Count of Polcenigo, the first of a long and noble family. From that moment the fortress became an authentic medioeval castle with battlemented boundary walls, towers and communication trenches. In consequence the village rose; its first historic mention has been found in a deed of 1200 in which Aldrigo and Guarnerio of Polcenigo gave anyone permission to build a house inside castle boundary walls. The village expanded more and more, also economically, especially after the coming of the Republic of Venice. Probably destroyed by a fire, the castle was rebuilt in 18th century, as a Venetian villa, as far as we know by the architect Matteo Lucchesi. Now the walls only remain as attestation of the ancient magnificence: the San Pietro Chapel, the roof, the dancing hall and the flight of 365 steps that led to the village had disappeared, but the castle facade still commands a view over the square, as a long time ago.

Coltura

The Hamlet stretches down the mountain gradual slopes and it's characterized by fair traditional dry-stone walls and houses and timber landing facing the south. Narrow streets go along with landscape's morphology, creating a sense of intimacy and protection. The Hamlet's church, San Lorenzo, was first mentioned in 1371 also it has for sure earlier origins. The actual building is the result of 1890 and 1908's restores, beside repairs needed after the earthquake of 1936.

River Livenza springs have a particularity; the water in spite of reaching surface at few tens of metres above sea-level suddenly form a river with considerable flow rate, so great as to be navigable from springs. As reported by legends, this place was scenery of propitiatory rites for fertility and destination of pilgrimages to a monument erected in memory of a Trinity apparition above the springs to the village. The Church or the Trinity, built between '300 and '500, overlooks the area around the spring. Its interior is adorned by several frescos and a glorious wooden high altar dated 1496.

Gorgazzo

"Take the emerald colour, the turquoise and the beryl ones, cast them into a bath of lapis-lazuli, so that everything meets and, at the same time, each of them keeps its own originality and you will get that part of liquid sky named Gorgazzo."

"Bus del Gorgàz" - Gorgazzo's spring.

These words were used by geographer Giovanni Marinelli in 1877 about the springs of Gorgazzo torrent, which flow out the slopes of the mountain from a dramatic underwater cave generated by water erosion. The torrent, which the Hamlet is named after, crosses pleasantly through the historical centre and flows into river Livenza. The spring is one of the deepest siphon in Europe and it has not been wholly explored yet. The surface pond had originated from the collapse of the vault under water's thrust. The water origin is not well known. Nevertheless, several studies have been carried out on the floods of this spring which undergo seasonal variations; this research strengthens the hypothesis of an origin from high places. There is also another hypothesis of a large feeding basin extending for approx 90 km². In the past, nine scuba divers have died attempting to reach the bottom of the cave and as a result swimming is prohibited. Future research could give an answer to the questions which still wrap this marvel of Nature in mystery.

On Christmas eve, during the Mass traditionally celebrated at the spring, a couple of divers plunge in the source to crown the Christ of the Abyss, a little statue hanging against the caves's surface 10 meters underwater, which can hardly be seen on shiny days because the water level has never been low enough to expose it, not even during the driest summer ever registered. The divers dive into the water bringing flashlights and the magic atmosphere of Christmas makes the ceremony very impressive.

Mezzomonte

Mezzomonte (once upon a time named "Nuvolone" meaning Big cloud) was a small village of stone houses dotting a natural cliff of Cansiglio's mountains at 477 m. from sea-level. The settlement has a privileged impressive overlook of the wide plain below. Its origins is still uncertain: local people hand down orally that in the age of Serenissima's dominion a group of Albanian came, founding the settlement, to work as wood-men and charcoal-burners but more probably Mezzomonte was earlier originated by a small medieval Germanic village. Today this Hamlet suffers its isolation and few people, most of them elderly ones, keep living in their houses. Although Mezzomonte has the strongest build community of the whole municipality and abounds of tourist initiatives, especially during the summer.

World heritage site

It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site.

External links

• Location Website (In Italian)