Palazzo Ettoreo

Palazzo Ettoreo is a former noble residence above the Livenza in Sacile, later known for the Leon d'oro inn and its association with writer Silvio Pellico.

Why it matters

The palace reflects the balance of residence, trade and defence along Sacile's riverfront. The Ettoreo and Vando families owned the building, which stands over the Livenza with a substantial, fortress-like profile. Its later history as an inn preserves a documented connection with Pellico, who spent a night there in March 1822 while being transferred to Spielberg.

What to notice

The portico has arches on octagonal stone columns, with a further arcade on brick piers toward Campo Marzio. Bas-reliefs of a griffin and dragon flank the Ettoreo arms on a central column. An Istrian-stone four-light window and traces of frescoes—including winged putti and a Madonna and Child—survive from the building's residential decoration.

Context and history

A Gothic building preceded the present palace, which was altered in successive campaigns between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Accounts differ on the precise chronology of those changes, so the safest description is a medieval core reshaped over time. The building later passed to the town. Its ground floor housed the Leon d'oro inn for more than a century; Pellico's stay on 25 March 1822 is among the palace's best-documented episodes.