Valvasone Arzene
The castle and the Venetian organ
On the right bank of the Tagliamento, in the province of Pordenone, Valvasone, today part of the municipality of Valvasone Arzene and one of the "Borghi più belli d'Italia", is a small medieval town that preserves an intact and harmonious historic centre, with arcaded streets, palaces with frescoed façades and courtyards, gathered around its castle, a complex of buildings of medieval origin, transformed into a noble residence in the Renaissance, which belonged to the lords of Valvasone and preserves a small theatre and frescoed rooms. In the town, the water channels that once powered mills and workshops still flow along the streets.
The main treasure of Valvasone is in the Duomo, the church of the Most Holy Body of Christ: its splendid organ, built between 1532 and 1533 by the Venetian organ builder Vincenzo Colombi, is the only Venetian organ of the sixteenth century that has survived intact in Italy, with its original pipes and mechanism, and is still played in concerts that attract lovers of ancient music from all over Europe. Its painted doors, the "portelle", decorated with biblical scenes, were painted by Pomponio Amalteo and other masters of the Friulian Renaissance. Every year in September, Valvasone comes alive with a large medieval festival, with knights, archers, jugglers, markets and banquets in costume, which transforms the town into a medieval village.
Tip: check the programme of organ concerts in the Duomo; come in September for the medieval festival.
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