Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Train Station
(Viale Europa Unita)
From Udine's train station services run to Trieste (€8, one
hour), Venice (€11, two hours, several daily) Gorizia (€3.80, 30 minutes, hourly) and
Salzburg (€19, four hours).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Cividale del Friuli
POP 11,600 / ELEV 138M
Cividale del Friuli, 15km east of Udine, may be a small town these days but in terms of
Friulian history and identity it remains hugely significant. Founded by Julius Caesar in 50
BC as Forum de Lulii (ultimately condensed into 'Friuli'), the settlement reached its apex
under the Lombards (who first arrived in AD 568) and by the 8th century had usurped Ro-
man Aquileia. Cividale is hauntingly picturesque and rambling around its dark stone
streets makes for a rewarding morning. Even better, stay to enjoy its hearty table and
cracking bars.
DON'T MISS
CIVIDALE CERAMICS
Working with ancient Roman and Middle Eastern techniques, local ceramic artist Stefania Zurchi cre-
ates sculptures, reliefs and beautifully decorated utilitarian objects. Her palette evokes the Friulian
landscape: moody indigos and olives cut through with the flash of bright oxide yellow and dusty
pinks. Her 'girl' figures representing the seasons are highly sought after, as are her touching
Madonna-and-child reliefs. The work can be found at her central Cividale del Friuli shop,
Tirare
(Via
Ristori 12;
9.30am-12.30pm & 4-7pm Mon-Sat) .
Sights
Tempietto Longobardo
(Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle; 0432 70 08 67;
www.tempiettolongobardo.it
; Borgo Brossano; com-
bined ticket incl Museo Cristiano adult/reduced €6/4; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm winter,
10am-6pm Sat & Sun)
Cividale's most important sight is this stunning complex that houses
the only surviving example of Lombard architecture and artwork in Europe. Its ethereal
stuccowork and later dark wooden stalls are both unusual and extremely moving; some
elements date as far back as the 8th century.
CHAPEL
