The guided tour of Udine unveils a beautiful, art-rich city, small yet welcoming, with a historic center that beckons exploration on foot, revealing its artistic and historical treasures.
The tour begins in Piazza 1° Maggio, where we start our visit with Udine Castle, which we will admire from the outside. Located on top of the hill and surrounded by a vast green park, the castle offers spectacular views stretching from the mountains to the sea. Today home to the Civic Museums of Udine, the castle was built in the 16th century.
Descending towards the plains, you'll encounter various vistas of the rooftops and monuments of the historic center, accessed through the stunning Palladian Arch Bollani.
Enter Piazza Libertà, hailed as the most beautiful Venetian-style square on the mainland, a genuine Gothic and Renaissance gem in the heart of the historic center. It hosts notable buildings such as the exquisite Loggia del Lionello, now the seat of the Town Hall.
This Venetian Gothic masterpiece, reconstructed after a fire, showcases an abundance of marble and columns, adorned with a beautiful coffered ceiling and a commemorative plaque honoring the city's role during the Resistance.
In the monumental square, marvel at the Loggia with the Temple of Saini Giovanni, housing the monument to the fallen, and the Clock Tower, built in the 16th century, replacing a medieval tower that granted access to the castle. At its pinnacle, two copper statues of Moors strike the hours, alongside the Lion of St. Mark symbolizing Venice's dominion.
The guided tour continues through one of Udine's oldest and most famous streets, Via Mercatovecchio, an elegant thoroughfare flanked by noble palaces, taverns, and shops. It traces the path of the moat and city walls that protected the Castle, hosting markets in medieval times.
This leads to another historic square, Piazza Matteotti, the city's parlor surrounded by arcades and various establishments, framing the Church of Saint Giacomo with the tower housing the first public clock since 1525. The beautiful square boasts a 16th-century fountain and Diogenes' Lantern, a small octagonal cistern with coats of arms and columns.
The guided tour concludes at the Cathedral, the city's most significant religious edifice dedicated to Saint Maria Annunziata. With a Gothic facade and the precious Redemption Portal, exploring the church's interior unveils Baroque splendor and the marvelous works of Tiepolo, making the Cathedral a true gem waiting to be discovered.
