Cividale del Friuli
Treasure chest of the Friuli Venezia Giulia
Cividale was founded 53 a.C., by Julius Caesar with the name of Furum Iulii, from which the name Friuli derived. It was a meeting point for various populations and cultures, from the Celtics to the Romans and the Lombards – that set in Cividale the capital of the Lombard Duchy-, to the Patriarchate of Aquileia.
Cividale is full of artistic treasures, such as the Duomo , the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, where on the 6th of January there is a solemn ceremony, the Messa dello Spadone – mass of the broadsword-, that commemorates the investiture of the Patriarch by the Emperor, making him feudal Lord of the whole region.
The Mittelfest, festival of theatre, music, dance, cinema, puppets and poetry from Central European countries, takes place every year in July, with the aim of contributing to the promotion and construction of a new web of cultural exchanges.
Not to be missed in Cividale:
- National Archaeological Museum;
- Lombard Temple, considered one of the most mysterious monument of the Middle Ages;
- the Devil’s Bridge, real symbol of Cividale. It was built in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1917. Its two bold arches are built on a rock. According to the legend, the bridge was built in one night by the devil himself. In return, the devil asked for the soul of the first one passing over the bridge but the inhabitants of Cividale - instead of a human being - sent one cat first and the devil was forced to leave.
- the Devil’s Bridge, real symbol of Cividale. It was built in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1917. Its two bold arches are built on a rock. According to the legend, the bridge was built in one night by the devil himself. In return, the devil asked for the soul of the first one passing over the bridge but the inhabitants of Cividale - instead of a human being - sent one cat first and the devil was forced to leave.
Concerti