All the monuments in Cividale del Friuli
The landmarks and masterpieces worth planning a day around.
Tempietto LongobardoUNESCOLombard TempleSix stucco saints, Lombard art, UNESCO Longobards in Italy, Natisone gorgeThe Tempietto Longobardo is a small oratory built around the middle of the eighth century as a palace chapel in Cividale, the first Lombard duchy in Italy, and perched almost over the Natisone gorge. Inside, six nearly life-size female saints in stucco stand in a procession high above the doorway, set among frescoes and carved decoration that mix Roman, Byzantine and Germanic traditions. It is the finest surviving work of early medieval art in northern Italy, and part of the 2011 UNESCO listing Longobards in Italy: Places of Power. The oratory is tiny and belongs to the Santa Maria in Valle monastery complex, so allow time to see both.Plan the visit
Abbazia di RosazzoHidden GemRosazzo Abbey9th-century foundation, 1070 consecration, 1535 frescoes by Francesco India, Rosazzo Foundation vineyardHigh on a ridge above the vineyards of the Colli Orientali, this abbey has watched over Friuli's wine country since Benedictine monks founded it in the 9th century; the church was consecrated in 1070. Inside, the choir keeps a fresco cycle from 1535 attributed to Francesco India, faded but legible saints looking down over stone worn smooth by nine centuries of feet. The complex now belongs to the Rosazzo Foundation, which farms the surrounding hillside as one of Friuli's most prized vineyards, so a visit here pairs easily with a glass of the abbey's own white wine on the terrace outside.
Ponte del DiavoloDevil's BridgeTwo asymmetric arches over the Natisone, devil's-bargain legend, 1442 construction, rebuilt after 1917 demolitionCividale'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.
More within reach
Monuments a day trip away, elsewhere in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
TriesteMiramare CastleMaximilian and Charlotte’s seaside residence, the Novara Room, Cesare Dell’Acqua’s history paintings, and the historic park above the Gulf of Trieste.
AquileiaBasilica of AquileiaFourth-century mosaic floor, Good Shepherd, ninth-century crypt frescoes, 73 m bell tower, patriarchal seat
TriesteHidden GemGrotta GiganteWorld's largest show-cave chamber (98 m), geodetic pendulums, Carso karst setting, five-hundred-step stairway
TriestePiazza Unita d'ItaliaSea-facing piazza, Habsburg palaces, Fountain of the Four Continents, blue-hour views
GoriziaHidden GemDuino Castle14th-century clifftop fortress, Rilke's Duino Elegies, Thurn und Taxis family seat, Sentiero Rilke coastal path
UdineUdine CastleBronze Age artificial hill, Tiepolo gallery, civic museums, Alps-to-Adriatic view
TriesteHidden GemCarsiana Botanical GardenTen recreated Karst habitats, 600 native plant species, sinkhole setting, free admission
GoriziaHidden GemDuino MithraeumRare Roman mithraeum, tauroctony carving, cave sanctuary near Duino, 400 votive coins found