The garden of the Serenissima
On the border between Friuli and the Veneto, built on two islands in the Livenza river, Sacile is an elegant small town called the "Giardino della Serenissima", the garden of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, for its beauty and its Venetian atmosphere, which recalls a small Venice on the mainland. Its historic centre, crossed by the river and canals, with bridges, arcades and palaces with Gothic windows and frescoed façades reflected in the water, preserves the appearance it had when it was part of the Venetian territory, from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, and when Venetian nobles built their country residences here. The most beautiful building is the Palazzo Ragazzoni, of the sixteenth century, which belonged to a wealthy family of merchants and preserves frescoed rooms; the Duomo di San Nicolò, Renaissance, overlooks the main square.
Sacile is known for one of the oldest festivals in Italy: the Sagra dei Osei, the "festival of birds", which, according to tradition, has been held since 1274 in August and was once a great fair and market of birds, with contests of birdsong and exhibitions of bird-catching techniques; today, in respect of the laws on wildlife protection, it has become a festival dedicated to ornithology, nature and the local traditions, with stalls, exhibitions and events. Sacile is also a good starting point for visiting the hills of the Livenza, the springs of the river at Polcenigo and the Cansiglio forest, a large beech forest on a plateau between Friuli and the Veneto.
Tip: walk along the river and the canals at sunset; combine Sacile with the springs of the Livenza at Polcenigo, with their crystal-clear water.
Where it is
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