The city of mosaic on the banks of the Tagliamento
Spilimbergo, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, rises above the wide gravel bed of the Tagliamento, often called the last wild river of the Alps. Painted palaces, a castle courtyard and a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral make it a small jewel, but its real fame is mosaic.
Since 1922 the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli has trained artisans from all over the world here. Its students still cut stone and glass tesserae by hand, and their work decorates buildings across Italy and abroad. Look down as you walk: mosaics appear in the streets too.
The castle courtyard is an open-air gallery, with the frescoed façade of the Palazzo Dipinto glowing in warm colours. Next door, the cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore keeps medieval frescoes and organ shutters painted by Il Pordenone.
Along the main street, palaces with painted façades and arcades recall the days when Spilimbergo was a lively market town on the river crossing.
A detailed visit to the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli: the workshops where students cut and set the tesserae by hand, the techniques from Roman to contemporary mosaic, and the works on display. School visits run on weekdays and pause in July and August.
Try frico and polenta, or a slice of aged Montasio cheese, with a glass from the Friuli Grave wine area, whose vines grow on the river's gravelly plain.
Tell me your dates and group size, and I'll shape the visit around you. It can also be combined with a winery or another town on the same day.
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A UNESCO site: the Renaissance fortress town built in the shape of a nine-pointed star.
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