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

Schankel Fredy (3 years ago)
I am from Austria and I love the Udine City and this castle. What a beautiful place. I was absoluty suprised about it.

Stamatis Kon (3 years ago)
Nice view of the city and the surrounding mountains. The museums are also interesting. Worth a visit...

Coen (3 years ago)
Nice views, good looking castle. The museum was free and quite interesting but not really one you cannot miss.

Elizabeth Hall (3 years ago)
Not what we were expecting as a "castle" per se but very cool city center area with tons of old buildings and bell towers. Would like to see more next time we go.

Suthinee Nualmusing (3 years ago)
Nice place, in the top you can see view and sunset also have bar and restaurant you can enjoy there.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Mark1792

Historic Site of the week

Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.

The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.

Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.

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