Castello Canussio

Castello Canussio preserves a stretch of Cividale's ancient defences within a later residence and its grounds. Excavated walls and towers reveal the Roman and late-antique city beneath the town's better-known medieval heritage.

Why it matters

The complex stands on the northern defensive circuit of Forum Iulii. Its masonry records different phases of fortification rather than a single building campaign, connecting the early town with later changes in defensive construction.

What to notice

An inner curtain wall and square tower have been assigned to the late Republican period. Polygonal towers represent a later phase, generally placed in the fourth or fifth century AD. Glass floor panels reveal parts of the excavated masonry within the building. Ceramics, glass and metal objects recovered during investigation add evidence of occupation beyond the walls themselves.

Context and history

The residence takes its name from the Canussio family and is associated with the memory of the humanist Niccolò Canussio. Archaeological campaigns between 1991 and 2000 investigated remains within the property under heritage-office supervision. Finds from the work entered the National Archaeological Museum's collections, linking the residence with the wider archaeological history of Cividale.