Inside La Torre restaurant there is one of the most booked and romantic tables in the region: it is the one located inside the alcove that housed the “larin”, the fireplace, of the Spilimbergo Castle, a city that owes its name to the Carinthian counts Spengenberg who settled here around the 11th century.

The “castrum de Spengenberg” dates back to 1120 but the history of the site is much older, as it has always been built to defend the important road that connected Germany to the ford of the Tagliamento River, the “highway” of the time.

Since Roman times, Spilimbergo has a truly important history that we are proud to translate into high quality food and hospitality in our restaurant.

(Marco and Massimo, owners)

Already important in Roman times for its position, in 1420 the city came under the dominion of the Serenissima Republic of Venice, carrying on, thanks to the flourishing trade with the lagoon city, its arts, first and foremost that of mosaic, very widespread in the area also thanks to the abundance of its raw material, namely the multicolored pebbles from the nearby rivers.

Immersed in such an important artistic context, the La Torre restaurant has always been one of the cultural salons of the city, today orchestrated by its owners, the chef Marco Talamini and the maître and sommelier Massimo Botter, enthusiastic ambassadors of the typical products of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

Marco, from Cortina d’Ampezzo, settled in Spilimbergo for love, after receiving his first Michelin star at Ristorante Bacco Tabacco in Asolo and having traveled half the world. In 2000, while working at Peck in Milan, he learned of the possibility of managing La Torre, which he has been happily the owner of since then together with his partner Massimo.

The menu is a hymn to the territory with ingredients selected by Marco and Massimo among the best producers in the region, starting right from Spilimbergo with cured meats (and in particular the wonderful musetto) by Lovison and cheeses by Tosoni.

From the raw ham from nearby San Daniele to the warm carpaccio of musetto, apples, horseradish and mustard ice cream, from the “sassi del Tagliamento”, a special filled pasta that is then glazed to resemble the city river’s pebbles, to the venison sirloin, apple, strawberry and potatoes, each course is an extraordinary tale of the region and its excellent products.

Massimo’s love for the mountains has also led him to become passionate about the world of cheese. The cheese trolley at La Torre is therefore particularly famous, so much so that it won the Muraro Sapori dell’Espresso award for “Best cheese trolley in Italy”. To accompany them, the inevitable apple mustard and other special condiments prepared by Massimo according to his secret recipes.

Another of his passions is wine, and the cellar of the restaurant houses the most prestigious labels, but also the lesser-known yet interesting and curious ones, especially from the region.

The ideal experience? Book a visit to the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli, a true museum of this art, then have an aperitif sitting in the external courtyard of the Castle and then enjoy the view all the way to the Carnic Alps from the small window of the table set up inside the ancient fireplace of the castle.

The Secret

What is visible today of Spilimbergo Castle dates back to a series of modifications that have been added over the centuries. The part that houses the restaurant, the so-called Painted Palace, was rebuilt at the end of the fourteenth century on the ruins of a building destroyed by yet another fire and hosted Charles V in 1532, Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland, in 1566 and also Henry III of France in 1574. The facade features frescoes depicting horses and grooms, theological Virtues and Cardinals attributed to Andrea Bellunello in the fifteenth century.

Useful Info

Ristorante La Torre
Piazza Castello
833097 Spilimbergo, Udine
Tel. +39 0427 50555

Starters: from 18 euro
First courses: from 18 euro
Second courses: 28 – 30 euro