Piazza del Popolo

Porticoed houses close around the great square of Sacile, a paved stage between the cathedral quarter and the Livenza. It began as the landing ground of the river port, and its fondaco palaces — built to trade from, live in and store above — still line the space where the town gathers, the Torre dei Mori story bound to its northern end.

Why it matters

Sacile’s square began as working infrastructure: Portus Sacili, the landing place for merchant boats, where goods from the river port were gathered. Around it rose the palazzi-fondaco of the early seventeenth century, houses with two fronts — one on the square, one on the water — and three working floors of commerce, residence and storage. The palazzi reflected in the Livenza helped earn Sacile the name "Giardino della Serenissima". The square was formerly called Piazza Plebiscito and remains the setting for the Sagra dei Osei, the town’s bird festival. Markets and celebrations continue to give the square a central place in civic life.

What to notice

The porticoed fronts reflect the palazzi-fondaco’s arrangement: commerce below, residence above and a granary on the upper floor, with entrances from both the square and the river. Two palaces illustrate these architectural details. The Gothic Palazzo Pianca keeps trifore with frescoes of a Madonna col Bambino and a San Sebastiano; the Palazzo Fabio-De Zanchis answers with an elegant quadrifora and traces of mythological fresco. Guides from the early twentieth century describe the square as a sferisterio, a court for the old game of pallone, played with a gloved hand. The Ponte della Pietà connects the square to Piazza Duomo on the second island.

Context and history

As the landing of Portus Sacili, the square served river trade. In the Venetian era, the surrounding palazzi-fondaco housed commercial, residential and storage functions. Formerly known as Piazza Plebiscito, the square also saw loss and damage in the twentieth century. The Torre dell'Orologio detta dei Mori was badly damaged in the 1936 earthquake and demolished a few years later; the square and its buildings also suffered damage during the wars and in 1976. It has remained a place for markets and public gatherings, including the Sagra dei Osei.