Castello di Udine

Udine's castle crowns the hill at the heart of the city. Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1511, it was the seat of the Patriarch of Aquileia and later of the Venetian Lieutenant; since 1906 it has housed civic museums spanning archaeology, art, the Risorgimento and photography.

Why it matters

The castle's hilltop silhouette is central to Udine's identity and its political history. Its rooms once served the Patriarch of Aquileia and the Venetian Lieutenant who governed the Patria del Friuli. The civic museum opened on 26 July 1906, the fortieth anniversary of Friuli's union with Italy, and the building now brings together collections from prehistory to the twentieth century.

What to notice

The external staircase designed by Giovanni da Udine in 1547 links the courtyard to the central hall. In the Salone del Parlamento, completed by Francesco Floreani in 1566, frescoes evoke the visual culture of sixteenth-century Friuli. The Galleria d'Arte Antica contains paintings from the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries, including works by Carpaccio, Caravaggio and Tiepolo. The castle's civic collections also include archaeology, the Risorgimento and photography.

Context and history

The earthquake of 26 March 1511 destroyed part of the earlier buildings on the hill. Giovanni Fontana was commissioned to design the reconstruction, and the first stone was laid on 2 April 1517. Funding problems prevented the full design from being completed. Giovanni da Udine added the external staircase in 1547; Floreani completed the Salone del Parlamento in 1566, and internal stairs followed in 1576. The building was essentially finished in the early seventeenth century. Its civic collections preserve both the political history of the region and the art and material culture of its successive periods.