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CODROIPO |
| CODROIPO is a peaceful little town on the main railway line, midway
between Udine and Pordenone, that would have nothing to recommend it
were the huge Villa Manin not just 3km to the southeast, where it
completely dominates the little village of Passariano. As the only
public transport to the villa from Codroipo consists of three daily
buses, the best way to get there is to walk: straight ahead from the
station, and bear left in the main square - you could easily pick up a
lift. Friuli's best-known country house, the Villa Manin was built in 1738 and later enlarged for Lodovico Manin, the pitiful last doge of Venice. In 1797 Napoleon stayed here when he signed the Treaty of Campoformio, which gave Venice to Austria. The greater part of the interior, much of it coated in run-of-the-mill frescoes, is impressive solely for its size, and is used as an exhibition centre in the summer; the arena created by its great frontal galleries is used for open-air concerts. The villa contains a mediocre museum (Tues-Sun 9am-12.30pm & 3-6pm; free); more alluring is the ramshackle park (Tues-Sun 9am-6pm; free), where reedy ponds, birdsong and lichen-green statues create a congenial atmosphere for an afternoon doze. |