(
Friulian ''Udin'',
Slovene ''Videm'') is a city in the north-east of
Italy , capital of the historical region of
Friuli , in the middle of
Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the
Adriatic sea and the
Alps (Alpi Carniche), less than 40 km far from the Slovenian border. Its population was 96,593 in
2005 , 167,000 with the urban area.
Udine was the historical starting point for a route over the Saifnitz or Pontebba Pass to
Villach by way of Pontebba and Tarvisio. It lay on the Roman road the Via Julia Augusta, but there is no sign of Roman occupation. Founded in 983, after the decadence of
Aquileia (one of the most important cities of the
Roman Empire ) and
Forum Julii , Udine became important for commerce, and was for 4 centuries capital of
Patriarcato Di Aquileia . In the 1230s the seat of the patriarchate of
Aquileia was transferred to Udine, giving its
Romanesque cathedral new prominence. In
1420 Udine became part of Venetian territory until 1797, when Napoleone yielded the
Serenissima to Austria, and the
Treaty Of Campo Formio (
1796 ) was signed in
Campoformido , a village that lies about 4 miles west of Udine.
Udine was annexed to the
Reign Of Italy in 1866.
The old residence of the patriarchs of Aquileia was erected by
Giovanni Fontana in
1517 in place of the older one destroyed by an earthquake in
1511 . Under the Austrians it was used as a prison. In the cathedral archives was formerly preserved a recast of the
Visigoth ic code of laws in a manuscript known as the ''Codex Utinensis'', which was fortunately printed before it was lost. (See
Breviary Of Alaric ).
In the 1550s
Andrea Palladio erected some buildings in Udine.
The church of has 18th-century frescoes by
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and his son Domenico.
The church dedicated to is probably the oldest in Udine, judging from extant fragments dating back to the Lombard era. It lost its parish status in 1263, when it was annexed to the larger parish of Saint'Odorico (now the Cathedral). It has been renovated many times over the centuries: the façade, for example, was entirely rebuilt after the catastrophic earthquake of 1511. Its three naves preserve the suggestive atmosphere of silence and contemplation, which is often found in old churches. The Venetian Governor, Tommaso Lippomano, commissioned the Venetian Gothic
Portico with steps and ramps leading down the hill in 1487.
In the principal square (Piazza della Libertà) stands the town hall () built in 1448-1457 in the Venetian-Gothic style opposite a clock tower (Torre dell’Orologio) resembling that of the
Piazza San Marco at
Venice .
It was begun in 1448 on a project by
Nicolò Lionello , a local goldsmith, and was rebuilt following a fire in
1876 . The new design was projected by the architect
Andrea Scala . Opposite the Loggia del Lionello is the Loggia di San Giovanni, a Renaissance structure designed by Bernardino da Morcote. Other noteworthy monuments in the square are the Fountain by
Giovanni Carrara , an architect from Bergamo (1542); the Columns bearing the Venetian Lion and the Statue of Justice (1614), the statues of Hercules and Cacus and the Statue of Peace (1819) which was donated to Udine by Emperor
Franz I to commemorate the peace
Treaty Of Campoformido .
The of Udine is an imposing edifice built from 1236, on a Latin cross-shaped plan with three naves and chapels along the sides. The church was consecrated in 1335 as ''Santa Maria Maggiore''. At the beginning of th 18th century a radical transformation project involving both the exterior and the interior was undertaken at the request and expense of the Manin family. The Baroque interior has monumental dimensions and contains many works of art by G.B. Tiepolo, P. Amalteo, L. Dorigny. On the ground floor of the bell tower (built from 1441 over the ancient baptistry) is a chapel which is completely adorned with frescoes by
Vitale Da Bologna (1349).
The center of Udine is dominated by the , built by the Venetians from 1517 over a ruined Lombard fortification. The castle houses one of the most ancient Parliament Halls of Europe.
Udine has a university, the 'Università degli studi di Udine'. The archbishop's
Palace and the Museo Civico have quite important paintings.
The city has a theather, the Teatro Giovanni da Udine.
Important festivals include the wine-and-food September festival,
Friuli D.O.C. , and the biggest European festival of popular East Asian cinema, the
Far East Film Festival , in April.
