The Corso Vittorio Emanuele II is the main artery of Pordenone's historic centre and one of the most elegant streets in Friuli. It runs for about half a kilometre under continuous arcades — the loggias that give Venetian-influenced towns their particular character — lined with Gothic and Renaissance palaces decorated with the remnants of painted facades. The whole ensemble has an architectural coherence rare even in Italy.
Walking the corso end-to-end takes twenty minutes at a stroll; taking it properly, looking up at the surviving frescoes and the varied architectural details of the arcade piers, occupies an agreeable hour. The café tables under the loggias are particularly pleasant in the evening.