Udine Castle, Udine, Italy - SpottingHistory

The Udine castle hill is made of drift accumulating during centuries. However, a legend about its origin says that when Attila the Hun (also called the Scourge of God) plundered Aquileia (one of the biggest cities of the Roman Empire at that time) in the year 452, he asked his soldiers to build a hill to see the Aquileia burning. This was made by filling the helmet of each soldier with ground.

The first official statement of the existence of a building on the hill dates back to 983: the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II donated to Rodoaldo, Patriarch of Aquileia a castrum, a military building.

The present building has the form of a palace and it was built on the ruins of a fortress destroyed in the year 1511 Idrija earthquake. The construction had started in 1517 and the works had lasted for 50 years. The external decoration of the palace and the paintings in the Parliament Hall are due to Giovanni da Udine, one of the pupils of Raphael.

The council of the Patria del Friuli was one of the first parliaments in the world, and it was suppressed after the French occupation in 1797.

Today the castle hosts the History and Art Museum of the City of Udine.

User Reviews

Andrea Nori (12 months ago)
I only saw it externally and I must say that I didn't like it very much, but it is still a monument worth visiting. To reach it you can take the lift but you can easily go on foot

Micha Trieba (12 months ago)
Top of the hill. Splendid view over the alps and the city. Sound was great - I listened and danced to #coryhenry

Stasgysk (12 months ago)
Great small castle, good view.

babulal rulania (2 years ago)
It is worth a visit. It has amazing workmanship. The view of the entire Udine is visible from the top, which is very beautiful. Here you can spend 40 to 50 minutes comfortably. This palace is very beautiful and a wonderful sight of workmanship. Here you will get to see many such structures which have amazing workmanship. As the evening approaches, the view here becomes even more beautiful.

Fl Ann (3 years ago)
We (as a family of 4 with 9 and 18 years old kids) entered free of charge with the family ticket which was a surprise, because their website doesn't advertise a family ticket. I really liked the exhibitions (archaeological, risorgimento, paintings, photos), especially the parliament room (big, richly painted hall). From the castle's yard there is a pretty view to the town.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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