Udine

Italy

Udine is the capital of the Province of Udine in the Italian Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Udine is a quiet and stately provincial capital - and also the unofficial capital of Friuli (Forum Iulii-Cividale del Friuli) , which comprises the largest part of the Region of Friuli-Venezia-Giuli. While the once-great seaport of Trieste is the regional capital and reigns over the coast, Udine presides over the region's inland plains and its Alpine peaks. For centuries Udine was a Venetian city - in contrast to Trieste, which was part of the Austrian Empire. Today, Friuli is known as a region of wines, prosciutto di San Daniele and Montasio cheese. Udine is an excellent location to taste these products and to start a visit to this less traveled part of Italy.

Piazza Liberta

  • Castello di Udine. From the monumental staircase of Udine's Castle, which rises on a low hill about the city, you can admire the Julian Alps rising above the Friuli Plains. The Castle hosts the City Museums of art and archeology. In the map rooms on the top floor, you can see how Udine and surrounding Friuli shifted from being part of the medieval Patriarch of Aquilea to the Venetian Republic, then the Austrian Empire and finally, Italy.
  • Santa Maria di Castello. A church next to the Castle coloured by beautiful frescoes.
  • Piazza Liberta'. At the foot of the Castle hill is Piazza Liberta', which the tourist office calls the "most beautiful square in Venetian style on earth". Here you find the Loggia del Lionello, built in the 1400s, and across the street, the Tower of the Two Moors, giant statues (similar to those in St Mark's Square in Venice) on either side of a huge bell. They ring the hours.
  • Cathedral. Dates from the 1200s, and contains works by Tiepolo and others.
  • More. The newly re-opened Ethnographic Museum, on Borgo Grazzano, has a fascinating collection that illustrate rural life in Friuli. (Here and elsewhere, however, few captions are in English.) Udine also has two photographic collections.
  • Museo Diocesano e Gallerie del Tiepolo. 10.00-13.00, 15.00-18.00 (Mon, Wed–Sun); Closed on Tue. The museum is located in the former residence of the Patriarchs of Aquileia. It contains frescoes by the artist Giambattista Tiepolo.

Castello di Udine. From the monumental staircase of Udine's Castle, which rises on a low hill about the city, you can admire the Julian Alps rising above the Friuli Plains. The Castle hosts the City Museums of art and archeology. In the map rooms on the top floor, you can see how Udine and surrounding Friuli shifted from being part of the medieval Patriarch of Aquilea to the Venetian Republic, then the Austrian Empire and finally, Italy.

Santa Maria di Castello. A church next to the Castle coloured by beautiful frescoes.

Piazza Liberta'. At the foot of the Castle hill is Piazza Liberta', which the tourist office calls the "most beautiful square in Venetian style on earth". Here you find the Loggia del Lionello, built in the 1400s, and across the street, the Tower of the Two Moors, giant statues (similar to those in St Mark's Square in Venice) on either side of a huge bell. They ring the hours.

Cathedral. Dates from the 1200s, and contains works by Tiepolo and others.

More. The newly re-opened Ethnographic Museum, on Borgo Grazzano, has a fascinating collection that illustrate rural life in Friuli. (Here and elsewhere, however, few captions are in English.) Udine also has two photographic collections.

Museo Diocesano e Gallerie del Tiepolo. 10.00-13.00, 15.00-18.00 (Mon, Wed–Sun); Closed on Tue. The museum is located in the former residence of the Patriarchs of Aquileia. It contains frescoes by the artist Giambattista Tiepolo.

  • Un tajut. Udine lies in the centre of a rich plain, known for its wine, prosciutto (from San Daniele) and cheese (Montasio and more). Piazza San Giacomo is a beautiful square and the ideal place for a glass of wine (un tajut, in Furlan, the language of Friuli) or a coffee. The Piazza lies at the centre of the pedestrian area of town - which has become the sort of open-air shopping centre common in northern Italy.

Un tajut. Udine lies in the centre of a rich plain, known for its wine, prosciutto (from San Daniele) and cheese (Montasio and more). Piazza San Giacomo is a beautiful square and the ideal place for a glass of wine (un tajut, in Furlan, the language of Friuli) or a coffee. The Piazza lies at the centre of the pedestrian area of town - which has become the sort of open-air shopping centre common in northern Italy.

Caffè Contarena, Via Cavour, 1, 33100 Udine. A nice Cafe with wonderful Art Nouveau interior close to Piazza Libertà.

  • Trieste - the multicultural and multi-heritage capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (1-1.5 hours by train)
  • Venice and the venetian coast - about 1.5-2 hours by train
  • Cividale del Friuli with its Lombard Temple (UNESCO heritage site)
  • Villach (2-2.5 hours by train) and Klagenfurt in Austria's Carinthia - the region of many lakes
  • Other FVG UNESCO places: Aquileia, Palmanova, Palù di Livenza and the Friulan Dolomites
  • Gorizia, Pordenone
  • The FVG sea resorts: Lignano, Grado, Monfalcone, Trieste riviera
  • The FVG international ski resorts : Piancavallo, Tarvisio, Sella Nevea, Ravascletto-Zoncolan, Forni di Sopra.
  • The slovenian coast.