Caffè Contarena

During its thirty-year activity Friul Mosaic has often preformed restorations that, in many occasions, have led its mosaic craftsmen and designers to retrace the path of the history of the 20th century. In 1992 the staff was committed to restore the niches of the historic café Contarena located inside the magnificent Palace of the Udine City Hall. The mosaic niches and lunettes – dated 1930-35 by the Friulano artist Pietro Someda De Marco – are a unique and fine example of Italian Art Deco. Seriously damaged after the reconstruction post World War II, some of the mosaics were restored and three quarters had to be remade from scratch after a long philological study of the original design thanks to the leadership of the architect Lorenzo Miani and the enamels and gold provided by Orsoni in Venice.