Dvigrad was originally two towns, Moncastello and Castel Parentino. Dvigrad was first mentioned in 879, when it fell under the rule of the Patriarch of Aquileia. However, it had existed long before it as a part of the Roman province settlement. Its name speaks originally of two towns. Today's ruins are the remains of the northern town of Moncastello, while the other one, Castel Parentino, was abandoned in the 10th century.
Dvigrad fell under the rule of the Counts of Gorizia, it was destroyed by the Genoese fighting against the new owners, the Venice. Many lives and towns were lost in this war, which mainly took place in Istria. It is most likely that Parentino was abandoned at that time, and Montecastello was solely renovated. Following more than a century of peace, the second half of the 16th century was marked by a continuous conflict between Venice and Austria. This is the time of the plague epidemics, followed by the malaria.
In 1630, inhabitants had left the town and moved to Kanfanar. Only the poorest family remained in Dvigrad. It was noted that in 1650, the Bishop blessed only three families in Dvigrad. Some twenty years later, the Church of St. Sophia was also abandoned and the time has taken its toll. Current remains represent a well preserved, typical medieval town castle. It is encircled by the two rings of town walls connected by the town gate, of which there are three just as many as its defensive towers. The Church of St. Sophia still dominates the town. It is located on the highest point of town, on the same location from the Early Christian times. It current fascinating three-nave form was built in the 13th century. In front of this Romanesque style edifice there is the main town square and the town palace. Military quarters were located in the town's western part, while the craftsmen inhabited its southwest. The remaining, rather a large area, was occupied by houses for regular citizens.
References:The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.
The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.