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Devil's Bridge

Cividale's legend-built bridge over the Natisone, rebuilt after being blown up in 1917.

  • Cividale del Friuli
  • Bridge
Plan your visit
Where
Cividale del Friuli
Best for
Two asymmetric arches over the Natisone
Allow
20 minutes
Tickets
Free

Cividale's signature bridge crosses the emerald Natisone river on a single natural boulder lodged mid-stream, a foundation so improbable that legend credits it to the devil, who supposedly demanded the soul of whoever crossed first.

The townspeople are said to have sent a dog across instead, cheating him out of payment. The stone bridge dates to 1442, replacing an earlier wooden crossing, but it didn't survive intact: retreating Italian troops blew it up in October 1917 during the Caporetto rout, and it was rebuilt afterward to its original silhouette, two asymmetric arches spanning 22 and 19 meters over the gorge below.

Three things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The central boulder pierLodged natural rock in the riverbed

    The bridge rests on a huge natural boulder, which is why its two arches are of different widths (22 and 19 meters).Middle of the bridge, in the riverbed

  2. The Natisone gorgeEmerald river gorge

    The river runs green through a scenic gorge 22 meters below the roadway.Below the bridge, seen from the parapet

  3. Palma il Giovane's plague painting1601

    A painting commissioned after the plague of 1557 shows Saints Sebastian and Roch with the bridge in the background.Church of San Pietro ai Volti, Cividale

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets
Free
Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
20 minutes
Best time
Early evening, when the low sun turns the Natisone's water most vividly emerald
Getting there
The bridge is in the heart of Cividale del Friuli, a short walk from the main piazza; Cividale has its own train station, a longer walk away, on the line from Udine.
Accessibility
The bridge deck is stepped in places and can be uneven; not fully wheelchair accessible.

Walk down to the small gravel bank on the Natisone's edge just below the bridge for the classic photo looking up at both arches at once, an angle most visitors miss by staying on the bridge itself.

Get directionsGoogle MapsApple Maps

Good to know

How long should you spend at the Devil's Bridge in Cividale?

About 20 minutes is enough to cross, look over the gorge and take photos. Give yourself a little longer if you want to look at the bridge from both banks.

Why is it called the Devil's Bridge?

Legend says the devil built it overnight in exchange for the soul of the first creature to cross it, and the townspeople sent an animal across first to cheat him. A second version says he only set the big boulder the central pier stands on.

Can you see the Devil's Bridge and the rest of Cividale in one day?

Easily. Cividale is compact, and you can combine the bridge with the Lombard Tempietto, the old center and the nearby Rosazzo Abbey in one relaxed day.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

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