Cividale del Friuli
The Longobard village UNESCO heritage site
Overview
Famous for its priceless relics from the Longobard era, which have earned it UNESCO World Heritage status, Cividale del Friuli boasts many other riches within its walls. The city encapsulates the history of the many civilizations that have passed through it and left their traces, but it is also a vibrant town, home to multiple cultural events, including international ones. All this in the territorial setting of the Eastern Hills and Natisone Valleys, naturalistically and scenically splendid, and surrounded by a rural reality that the local food and wine offerings take advantage of.
Why visit
01.
UNESCO Heritage
02.
A crossroads of peoples
Many civilizations have succeeded one another in the Cividale area, from the Celts to the Venetians, from the Roman Empire to the Lombard Kingdom in ancient times; to the rule of the Serenissima and Habsburg rule in more recent times.
03.
Easy to visit on foot
What to see and do in Cividale del Friuli
Cividale del Friuli
Walking through the streets of downtown
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
A stroll through the cobbled streets of the old town allows visitors to discover Longobard Cividale with the Monastery of St. Mary and the Lombard Temple, the remains of the Episcopal Complex of Patriarch Callistus, and the Celtic Hypogeum. In Piazza del Duomo, where the Roman forum once stood, face the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, the 15th-century Town Hall and the 16th-century Palace of the Venetian Proveditors. Not far away is the Medieval House, dating back to the 1300s.
MUSEUMS
Inside the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, it is possible to visit the “Christian Museum and Treasure of the Cathedral.” In the same square, in the Palace of the Venetian Provveditori, the “National Archaeological Museum” can be visited, which houses Roman, early Christian and Longobard archaeological finds.
ATMOSPHERE
Cividale is a lively city, full of cultural initiatives and events. Strolling through the downtown streets, one can sense this lively atmosphere. Representative of this atmosphere is Paolo Diacono Square, the “living room of Cividale.”
BARS, RESTAURANTS AND TYPICAL PRODUCTS
In Cividale, the squares teem with trattorias and restaurants, where you can enjoy typical Friulian dishes, including frico. The area is also famous for the production of DOC and DOCG wines, such as Picolit, Friulano, Malvasia, and Refosco dal peduncolo rosso. Finally, not to be missed is tasting the homemade desserts: gubane, gubanette and strucchi.
The Devil's Bridge
THE CHARM OF THE LEGEND
According to legend, the bridge was built in a single night by the Devil, as a result of a pact made with the citizens of Cividale, who demanded in return the soul of the first person to cross it. Barter that did not happen, as the clever Cividale people made sure that the first one to cross the bridge was a dog. In fact, the scenic 22-meter-high bridge that connects the two banks of the Natisone River dates back to the 15th century, but it was rebuilt several times and today is supported by two monumental arches, the central pillar of which rests on a natural boulder.
THE RIVER THAT RUNS THROUGH THE CITY
The Natisone River with its clear waters, white sand and pebbles creates picturesque vistas along its entire course, which for a stretch marks the border between Italy and Slovenia. Thanks to its high embankments and exceptionally bright colors, the view visible from the Devil’s Bridge is extraordinary, and the city seems to be perched on its waters.
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St. Mary's Monastery
INTRODUCTION
In the early Middle Ages, the area of the Monastery of Santa Maria in Valle was the seat of the Gastaldaga regia, that is, where the gastaldo, administrator of the king’s possessions in Cividale, operated. In this place, a nodal hub of political life in the Friulian duchy, the Monastery of Santa Maria in Valle was erected in late Lombard times, enclosing the Church of St. John and the Lombard Temple.
THE VISITABLE AREAS
The monastery represents one of the most important testimonies of Longobard Cividale, whose monumental and architectural traces, as well as artistic ones, can be observed. Areas that can be visited include the beautiful cloister, where events and events are hosted, the refectory, the cells where the nuns lived, and the south side, where the oldest wall structures and the Lombard Temple are located. Also part of the monastic complex is the Church of St. John in the Valley, the city’s oldest house of worship, which was built in the first half of the seventh century, at a time before the monastery.
DAYS, TIMES AND COST
The tour includes the Monastery of St. Mary in the Valley, the Church of St. John and the Lombard Temple and can be done year-round except for December 25 and the morning of January 1. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., from April to September; while they are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from October to March. The cost of the ticket is €6 for full, €5 for reduced.
The Lombard temple
WHAT IT IS.
The Lombard Temple, probably built in the second half of the 8th century as a chapel of the Lombard court, is one of the most important examples of early medieval and Lombard architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
WHERE IT IS.
Initially the chapel of the royal palace, the small temple later became the chapel of the Monastery of Santa Maria in Valle, taking the name Oratory of Santa Maria in Valle. It is possible to visit both buildings at the same time, along with St. John’s Church, as they are part of the same architectural complex.
The tour of the archaeological museum
WHAT TO SEE.
The Palazzo dei Provveditori veneti, built according to plans to architect Andrea Palladio between 1565 and 1615, houses the Archaeological Museum of Cividale. There are exhibits from the Roman, early Christian, early medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic periods, and a section devoted entirely to the Lombard Kingdom. The museum also boasts a private collection of fifty-six Lombard gold coins, valued as the second largest of its kind in the world.
HOURS AND COST.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the ticket office closing at 6 p.m. Admission costs €6 full price, €2 reduced for 18-25 year olds and is free for those under 18.
The Christian Museum
ABOUT THIS PLACE
The Christian Museum is located in a room adjoining the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, from which it is accessed, and is organized into four sections: the “Longobard Heritage,” the “Cathedral Treasury,” the “Art Gallery,” and the “Liturgical Vestments and Eastern World” room.
THE ALTAR AND THE BAPTISTERY
The section devoted to Lombard art displays:
- the 8th-century Ratchis Altar, on which the polychromes that originally decorated the bas-reliefs are projected via a multimedia medium;
- the Baptistery of Callisto, the first Patriarch of Aquileia, who settled in Cividale in the year 731.
HOURS AND COST.
Opening hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, during the months of April through September and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., on the same days, from October through March. The cost of the ticket is €6 for full price, €5 for groups, €2 for students.
The medieval house
WHAT IT IS.
The 14th-century Medieval House was originally the workshop and home of a goldsmith. It is located in the city center and can be freely visited on Sundays and holidays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
The house has 3 floors, of which the ground floor was used as a workshop, the first as a bedroom and the second as a hearth room. Currently, the spaces have been set up with reproductions of the period furnishings to recreate a medieval atmosphere.
The Celtic Hypogeum
WHAT IT IS.
The Celtic Hypogeum is a complex of corridors and chambers carved into the rock in the vicinity of Devil’s Bridge. The function of this place is still a source of perplexity for scholars, who have speculated that it might have been a burial chamber of Celtic times, used in Roman or Lombard times as a prison room. Thickening the mystery are the niches, shelves, pallets and four masks that have been carved out of the rock.
VISIT AND CARDS
Guided tours can be taken from May to September, on Sundays and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and from June to August, also on Saturdays. Tickets cost €5 full, €1 reduced and are free for children under 8 years old.
Cividale: a history written by many peoples
EARLY PALEOLITHIC SETTLEMENTS
Cividale has a long history: the oldest artifacts found in its area date back to the Paleolithic period and testify to the presence of prehistoric human settlements. Some of these finds are on display at the Archaeological Museum in Cividale.
A CROSSROADS OF CIVILIZATIONS: CELTS, ROMANS, LOMBARDS AND VENETIANS
Several civilizations came to this territory: from the Veneti to the Celts to, from the 2nd century B.C., the Romans, who founded Forum Iulii, from which the name “Friuli” for the entire region was derived. In 568 AD. Cividale became the seat of the first Lombard duchy in Italy, of which important architectural works remain as evidence. The city also played a prestigious role under the Holy Roman Empire and during the years of the Patriarchate of Aquileia.
UNESCO HERITAGE SITE SINCE 2011
Since June 2011 Cividale del Friuli has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list as the lead city of the project “Lombards in Italy: places of power (568-774 AD).”
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Services and information
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER
The Tourist Information and Reception Service of the municipality of Cividale del Friuli “Informacittà” is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturdays and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is located at the Palazzo de Nordis in Piazza Duomo, 5.
SINGLE TICKET
For those who want to visit Lombard Cividale and access the various testimonies of the period there is the possibility of purchasing the “Integrated Lombard Ticket” for admission to the three museums: Monastery of St. Mary in the Valley and Lombard Temple + Christian Museum and Treasure of the Cathedral + National Archaeological Museum. All at a cost of €15 full price and €6 reduced price.
ANNUAL EVENTS.
In Cividale del Friuli, among the many events, the “Mittelfest,” the most important entertainment festival in the Central European area, and the “Palio di San Donato,” a medieval historical reenactment involving the entire city, with themed craft stores, inhabitants in period costume, games and archery competitions, stand out in importance and distinctiveness.
What to visit around Cividale
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A tour of the town, including museum admission, takes a day, considering stopping for lunch at a typical restaurant.
Contact theInformacittà, the tourist information and reception service, located at Palazzo de Nordis, Piazza Duomo, 5.
Yes, there are several; they are located on the roof of some hotels, but they are also accessible to outsiders according to certain schedules.
Contact and information
Through this section you can contact the Cividale del Friuli information center directly.
The Informacittà Desk provides a free tourist information and welcome service is open to the public on the ground floor of Palazzo de Nordis in Piazza Duomo 5 in Cividale del Friuli every day.
Explorer FVG does not handle responses, nor is it responsible for the information exchanged in these conversations.
For information:
Informacittà / I.A.T.
Palazzo De Nordis
Piazza Duomo, 5
33043 Cividale del Friuli (UD)
Opening hours:
- Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 p.m.-5 p.m;
- Saturdays and holidays 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
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