Udine
It is good, that the author of the best works of art in UDINE is Giambattista Tiepolo, because the light and brilliant work of this painter suits the city very well. Small canals called rogge run alongside and underneath the streets, drained from the rivers Torre and Cormor; light is reflected from these bright streams, falling on the walls and roadside greenery. Comfortable and bourgeois Udine is the second largest city of Friuli Venezia Giulia and some say, that although Trieste has twice the population, Udine will get primacy sooner or later. The city seems to have all the features, which Trieste lacks - delicacy, calm, success. Trieste, on the other hand, has a rich identity, where Udine appears pale as the pink and white facade of his famous town hall.
Along with Cividale, Tricesimo and Zuglio Udine belonged to the border bastions of ancient Rome, but until the 6th century. it meant much more than just the place, where the garrison is stationed. However, it did not become a regional center until the 13th century. Patriarch Bertodlo of the Andechs (1218-51) can be considered the father of Udine - he founded two market squares (The "old market" in via Mercatovecchio and the new one in Piazza Matteotti, where fairs still take place), he moved the seat of the patriarchy from Cividale to the castle in Udine and organized a city council. W 1362 r. under the treaty, the city fell to the hands of the Austrian princes, but not for long: After repeated attacks and sieges, Venice, thirsty for new lands, took Udine w 1420 r. The Venetians ruled the city for over 400 years, until v 1797 r. The Venetian Republic surrendered to Napoleon.
Drive, information and accommodation
Udine's train and bus stations are close to each other in the southern part of the city, via Europa Unita; via Roma leads from the train station to the city center. The EPT office is on Via Piave 27 (pn.-pt. 8.30-13.00 i 14.30-18.00, sb. 8.30-13.00). A good hotel with affordable prices is Manin, via Manin 5(0432/501146), with rooms from 32 000 L; another in the same price range is Al Yecchio Tram, Garibaldi Square 15 (w 0432/502516). Perhaps there will be a place in one of the two student houses on via Zoletto (a block via Aquileia): Grandę residence (0432/26058) i Small Residence (» 0432/299127). Students from outside Italy can stay overnight in the youth home on via Ungheria - see CTS for details (youth travel agency) at via Aquileia 50/3 (pn.-pt. 16.30-19.00).
City
legend has it, that the castle-topped hill in the heart of Udine had been raised by Attila's hordes, using helmets as buckets, that their chief may delight from a distance 36 km view of the burning Aquileia. You should start your visit to Udine at the foot of the hill, in Piazza Liberta, square, whose architectural ensemble is second to none in Italy. The 15th-century Palazzo del Comune makes a clear reference to the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, and the clock tower opposite the palazzo, built in 1527 r., it also has a Venetian prototype - a lion on the facade and a bronze Moors, chiming the hours at the top of the tower, are clear allusions to the Torre dell'Orologio in St.. Brand. The statue at the north end of the square is a poor allegory of Peace, donated to the city by Emperor Francis I to commemorate the conquest of the city by the Habsburgs.
You go to Castello via Arco Bollani, designed by Palladia, and then along the Loggia del Lippomano, a neat gallery in the Venetian Gothic style. 16th century castello, built and decorated by local artists, houses an excellent museum featuring works by Caravaggio, Carpaccio, Bronzina the Tiepolas; it is currently still under renovation after the earthquake in 1976 r. - you can find out about the progress of works in the EPT.
North of Piazza Liberta runs via Mercatovecchio, once a merchant heart of the city, and currently the busiest shopping street. Chapel of Santa Maria, Incorporated in the Palazzo del Monte di Pieta on via Mercatovecchio, it is a real beauty. The interior seen from the street through the glass - with cloudy baroque frescoes by Giulia Quaglio (1694) - gives the impression of being submerged under water.
To the west is Piazza Matteotti, with galleries on three sides and the beautiful Baroque façade of the Church of San Giacomo on the fourth. The role of the square as the center of public life in Udine is confirmed by the altar on the balcony of San Giacomo, at the height of the first floor; masses were celebrated here on Saturdays, so that the faithful would not have to detach themselves from the trade in the square. The square served not only as a market square, because tournaments were held here, theater performances and carnival games. The fountain in the middle of the square was left in 1543 r. designed by Giovanni da Udine, Raphael's pupil, who also lent his hands to the construction of the palace.
South of Piazza Liberta is the Duomo, Romanesque building restored in the 18th century. in the baroque style. The main attraction are the altar paintings and frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo - they decorate the first two chapels on the right and the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament a little further. A series of frescoes painted by Tiepol in collaboration with his son Giandomenico can be seen opposite - in the tiny Oratorio della Purita, where will the sacristan duomo take you.
But the most outstanding works of art in Udine are the frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo in the nearby 18th-century Palazzo Arcivescovile (archbishop's palace; pn.-pt. 9.00-12.00). These luminous and consciously theatrical scenes painted in the 20s of the 18th century. they constitute a kind of a Rococo epic poem based on Old Testament motifs. The fall of the rebel angels is the first job, which can be seen after taking the stairs to the first floor; other frescoes show Sarah and an angel, Abraham and the angels, Rachel, Abraham and Isaac and the Judgment of Solomon.
Of the minor attractions, perhaps the most interesting is the exhibition of local handicrafts and folk art at the Museo Friulano delle Arti e Tradizione Popolari (wt.-sb. 9.00-12.30 i 15.00-18.00, nd. 9.00-12.30), located in Palazzo Gor-go-Maniago on via Viola.
Gastronomy and entertainment
There are dozens of restaurants in Udine, and one of the most popular is Da Arturo, via Pracchiuso 75 (pn. close). Unpretentious Trattoria alTAllegria, via Grazzano 18 (pn. close), serves unsophisticated local dishes in the dining room next to the bar - the gnocchi are delicious (noodles) in butter. You can also visit A and Castagni, via Barigliara 21 , Al Cacciatore, via Cividale 638, lub At the Icebox, alley Portello 2. Self-service Zenith, na via Prefecture, is good, if you are in a rush.
Students hang out at Manhattan and Arcobaleno bars on viale Palmanova and in St James on via Grazzano. The Contarena disco in Piazza Liberta is one of the liveliest dance venues. Nightlife is very limited outside the academic year, but in summer there is a rich program of cultural events - theater, music, ballet - in the city and its surroundings.