he castle of Udine is one of the main monuments of the city and is situated on the top of a hill in the historical centre, 138 m above sea level. The castrum Utini is mentioned for the first time in 983, when it was donated by Emperor Otto II to the Patriarch of Aquileia Rodoaldo. The old castle, from the 13th century the main seat of the patriarch, then, from 1420, of the Venetian lieutenant, consisted of a donjon with a tower, enriched in the 13th century with the construction of a larger palatium, church and bell tower, within a double walled circuit with two lateral towers.
Severely damaged in 1511 by an earthquake and the following year by a violent fire, in 1517 the architect Giovanni Fontana was commissioned to design and rebuild a new building, aiming more at its representative function. With the fall of the Venetian Republic (1797), the city was ceded by Napoleon to the Austrians and the castle became the seat of offices, military fort (San Biagio) and barracks. It is currently a museum (Gallery of Ancient Art). Noteworthy is the majestic hall of the Parliament of Friuli (in the photo), with frescoes by various authors (among them Grassi, Amalteo, Tiepolo) and a magnificent gilded and painted wooden ceiling.
