Spilimbergo, Maniago and the magredi: life on the upper Pordenone plain

The regional landscape plan calls this the «alta pianura pordenonese», the upper Pordenone plain. In the south, San Martino al Tagliamento, San Giorgio della Richinvelda and Vivaro sit between 71 m and 139 m above sea level; in the north, Maniago, Vajont and Montereale Valcellina, at 285 m to 313 m, press up against the Prealps. Winter sun is rarely a problem: on the shortest day the median town gets 8 h 37 min, Montereale the least (7 h 38 min).

It suits people working in Spilimbergo, Maniago or Pordenone, families who want space without city prices, and anyone who wants an emergency department in the area. It suits less those who rely on trains or holiday lets, or need fast broadband everywhere.

Spilimbergo, the small town of the area, is where you find the hospital, the upper secondary schools (3 sites) and the highest prices. Maniago, the other centre, is wired: fibre reaches 97.8% of homes, against 42.1% in Spilimbergo. Vajont is the youngest municipality in the area (average age 44.1); San Quirino is the closest to Pordenone's major hospital (13 min).

• Spilimbergo hospital runs an A&E around the clock, close to the centre. Heart attacks and strokes go to a specialist hub: from here Pordenone (36 min) and Udine (40 min) are almost equally near.
• Maniago: the health authority's 2025 guide listed a minor-injuries unit (PPI) open 8am–8pm, and a hospital page updated in October 2026 still mentions it, yet it appears neither among the authority's emergency departments nor on the regional live list. Check with the authority before relying on it. Our times send Maniago to Spilimbergo: 19 min.
• Rail: Maniago and Montereale are on the line to Sacile. Spilimbergo has no passenger trains; the nearest station with services is Maniago, 22 min away.
• Further afield: Udine is 42 min from Spilimbergo, the Piancavallo ski slopes 45 min from Maniago (hospitals and A&E).

OMI, the official valuation survey, values flats in the median town at €700/m² and houses at €790/m²; region-wide the medians stand at €790/m² and €750/m², so flats are cheaper here and houses slightly dearer. In the past year values rose in San Quirino (+9.1%) and Maniago (+6.1%) and fell in Spilimbergo (-6.0%), the steepest drop anywhere in the region. Sales in 2025: 138 homes in Spilimbergo, 122 in Maniago.

The region treats 5 municipalities here as wholly mountainous, which lifts its first-home grant to €15,500 for buyers who move in and meet the residence rules (first-home grants).

• Patchy fibre: Maniago 97.8%, San Martino 93.8%, but Spilimbergo only 42.1% and Montereale 18.8% of households (broadband town by town).
• Earthquakes: Maniago, Montereale and Vajont are in seismic zone 1, the highest; the 1976 earthquake reached 8-9 (MCS) in Arba. Ask for the structural history of any older house (seismic zones explained).
• Winters under the mountains: 85 frosty nights a year in Maniago against 69 in San Martino; in summer the median town tops 30 °C on 35 days.
• Tourism: little of it, so holiday letting is not a selling point.