About twenty kilometers from the border with Slovenia and about eighty from the one with Austria. Yet, in Piazza San Giacomo, the heart of Udinethere is no frontier air at all. Or rather, the feeling is find yourself at the center of a crossroads – partly for the different languages ​​that bounce under the arcades, partly for the tattoos that history has left – where identity and contamination however, they coexist in perfect balance. An effervescent melting pot that you feel like inside and outside at the same timeat home and on a walkway towards the outside: meetings and “clashes”, in the best sense of the term, which generated a cult mosaic of which today, between one tile and another, it is very difficult to identify the escape.
Elegant, sober, welcoming. Udineprecisely because of its geographical position, often remains on the fringes of tourist routes, especially the Italiansbut just two steps into the historic center are enough to realize that it is worth a visit. We were there in the third weekend of October, on the occasion of Ein Prosit 2024an excellent food and wine event which has reached its 25th edition this year: an exciting maze of proposals signed by 90 of the best international chefs, of which over 50 starred. From Carlo Cracco to Massimo Bottura, from Bruno Verjus to Mauro Colagreco, passing through Christophe Pelè, Mauro Uliassi and Virgilio Martinez. All represented, in comic versionin the center of that square which has always been a symbol of intertwining.
Crossroads of rituals – Piazza San Giacomo
City living room, as well oldest square: it was built during the 13th century to house the new market of Udine. All around, in addition to the church of San Giacomomedieval buildings alternate with frescoed facades, while bars and taverns peek out from the loggias where aperitif time takes place the ritual of tajutthat is, a glass of wine. The origin of the name? For some it refers to the “sign” that was made on the glass to indicate the quantity, for others it refers to the “mixing” of low alcohol wines with more full-bodied ones.
What’s the weather like? – Loggia del Lionello
A majestic structure, Venetian Gothic jewelin another symbolic square of the city, Piazza della Libertà . Completely destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1876, it is characterized by the coffered ceiling under the portico and the pink and white banded cladding. Downstairs – definitely worth seeking out – stands out the wrought iron work created by the master Alberto Calligaris, which contains within it some meteorological instruments such as a thermometer, a barograph (to measure atmospheric pressure), and a hygrometer.
Clocks and clocks (solar) – Loggia di S. Giovanni
On the opposite side of the Loggia del Lionello, here is the Porticato di San Giovanni with the iconic Clock Tower. Two curiosities not to be missed: under the last arch of the right wing there is a sundial dating back to 1798, consisting of a bronze sun with a hole inside: with the spring and autumn equinox, the sun’s rays indicate inscriptions on the floor. Furthermore, under the clock we find un of the three lions of San Marcothe only one that – covered by bricks – escaped the destruction of the French in the Napoleonic era.
The hidden work – Monte di PietÃ
Going down towards via Mercatovecchio – formerly a moat of the city walls, which became the main pedestrian street of Udine – we find the Monte di Pietà a palace built in 1496 by the noble Antonio Savorgnan, now home to a bank. Here too we must not stop at first glance: incorporated into the building, in fact, is the Chapel of Santa Maria del Monte – open during the FAI days – which houses the Pietà , one of the most important works of Baroque sculpture in Friuli, signed by the Dutch artist Henry Meyring.
Jupiter watches the Palio – Casa Sabbadini
Continuing the walk on via Mercatovecchio, we come across a curious building that tells a page of the city’s history, Casa Sabbadini. It stands out on the facade a beautiful fresco of Jupiter with lightning signed by Giovanni Battista Grassi, but the most interesting detail is found on the corner: the rings that held the end flag pole Palio. Well yes, in Udine since 1500, the «running of the bulls» in Pamplona style, then replaced in 1787 – due to their danger – by races of knights riding horses.
The oldest restaurant – Il Vitello d’oro
Opened way back in 1849, it has long been regarded «the fish place in Udine»: in a central courtyard, with a reassuring fireplace and a splendid outdoor area, it combines tradition and contemporaneity, becoming the spokesperson for those «contrasts» typical of the city and, more generally, of the whole Friuli Venezia Giulia. Not surprisingly, within the review of Ein Prosit 2024was chosen to host some of the most prestigious dinners, with chefs of the caliber of Quique Dacosta, Davide Oldani, Vicky Cheng, Pia Leone, Carlo Cracco and Bruno Verjus.
A pharmacy-museum – Farmacia Colutta
Since the 14th century, Udine has stood out for its rcontribution with the apothecariesthose who in the Middle Ages were involved in the preparation of medicines: numerous shops thus flourished, our pharmacies. Today there is a historic one, right in the center, which opens its doors a few days a year private museum, with historic furniture, ancient books, jars for ingredients and various utensils. Furthermore, in that same pharmacy, we continue to produce – and trade – an ancient liqueur whose recipe dates back to 1400, the work of local friars: theAmaro d’Udine.
A bit of a park, a bit of a bunker – Giardini del Torso
Intimate and ventilated, it is one of the favorite parks of the people of Udine. A green area surrounded by high walls, marked by a series of orthogonal and curvilinear pathsenriched by two loggias and an octagonal fountain. Adjacent to Palazzo Antonini Mangilli del Torso, built at the end of the 16th century, it became a public space starting from 1970: during the recent restoration works an air raid shelter was found underground, a reinforced concrete construction organized on two main corridors, today reopened in memory of the war victims.
Tiepolo (and not only) – Museums to see
Around 700 works, including eighteenth-century frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo. It’s the Diocesan Museum and Tiepolo Galleriesbased in the Palace which until 1751 was the residence of the Patriarchs of Aquileia, today of the archbishop. It was the patriarch Dionisio Dolfin who commissioned the legendary Venetian artist to decorate the ceiling of the Grand Staircase, the Guest Gallery and the Red Room. Also worth seeing in Udine Cavazzini House, headquarters of Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in a splendid building designed by architect Gae Aulenti.
Everything flows – The canals
Among the many links with Venice, few know that Udine – it seems as early as 1100 – is crossed by canals. Or rather, two canals, i.e. channels of moderate flow created artificially by exploiting larger water courses and used above all for irrigation and to power the mills. Those of the Friulian capital – the Palma canal And the canal of Udine – they both derive from the Torre torrent, 15 kilometers north of the city, and to this day they are discovered and visible in some sections, giving suggestive views how surprising.
A trip out of town – Palmanova and other villages
For those wishing to get by car to visit the surroundings of Udine, it is about 25 kilometers away Palmanovaa fortress city of just 5 thousand inhabitants founded by the Venetians in 1593, famous for its polygonal star-shaped plan with 9 points. In addition to the famous “starry city”, it is also worth mentioning Cividale del Friuli, even closer, already the capital of the Lombard duchy of Friuli and then the temporal capital of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. It was founded in Roman times by Julius Caesar who named it Iulii Forumhence got its name the whole region.
Source: Vanity Fair
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