This route begins in the town district of Villanova, on the banks of the Noncello river, a place still full of echoes of a rural past. It is fitting that your journey starts in front of the imposing fresco of St Christopher inside the church of Sant’Ulderico, considered to be an early work by Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis, the painter known as ‘il Pordenone’.

From there, you reach Pordenone, the urban heart of Western Friuli. Although after World War II the town was transformed by the industrial revolution, it still has a historic centre with medieval and Renaissance features. The Duomo and the bell tower, built in the style of that of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, together with the buildings along the main street and the narrow alleys leading to historical sites such as the Chiesa del Cristo or the former convent of San Francesco, make up the beauty of Pordenone.

The hustle and bustle of the town soon gives way to a multitude of modern green spaces, such as the Seminary Park, an oasis of peace just outside the centre.

From Pordenone, Portus Naonis “Port on the Noncello”, it is a short trip to Cordenons, from the Latin “Court on the Noncello”, a testimony to the importance of this river, which originates from the Cellina stream through the adjacent aquifer. Walking through the streets of this quiet town, past irrigation channels, renovated farmhouses and then open fields, you will find yourself in the small town of San Quirino, once the seat of the Templars, in front of the beautiful Villa Cattaneo and its spacious gardens.