CASTELLO - MUSEI CIVICI

Legend has it that the hill on which the castle stands was erected in 452 by the warriors of Attila the Hun to give him a better view of the glow of the fire in Aquileia. If recent archaeological research has confirmed the artificial origin of the hill, it would be much older (^2nd millennium BC). The present castle was built in 1517 on the site of a fortress built by the patriarchs of Aquileia and destroyed by an earthquake in 1511. Giovanni da Udine, a student of Raphael, collaborated on the work. The protective angel, perched atop a dome of this imposing building, is the symbol of the city. The castle hosted the assemblies of the Parliament of Friuli for centuries, until the abolition of this institution by Napoleon in 1805. Today it houses several municipal museums.

Museo archeologico. Rich collection of remains from the excavations of Aquileia from the prehistoric period to the early Middle Ages.

Museo del Risorgimento. Diverse collections ranging from caricatures to paintings, from old photographs to war documents.

Galleria d'Arte antica. Beautiful panorama of sacred and civil painting of the region from the ^14th to the ^19th century (paintings by Tiepolo, Carpaccio and Caravaggio).

Museo friulano della Fotografia. Old photographs of Udine, its territory, regional traditions and the horrors of the Great War.

Galleria dei Disegni e delle Stampe. Collection of Venetian engravings and prints from the ^17th and ^18th centuries.