A Visitor’s Guide to Udine, Italy

The Italian city of Udine is situated in the region of Friuli-Venezia which is in the north east of the country. This region extends from the Adriatic and the gulf of Trieste to the lower reaches of the Julian Alps which extend into neighbouring Slovenia and Austria, the final throes of that mighty European chain.

Just forty minutes away from Trieste Airport by bus (perhaps thirty by car), Udine is not just a good place to stay, but it’s also a realistic day trip from Trieste. It’s also about 40 kilometres from the Slovene border and could be reached easily as a day trip if you are staying in the west of Slovenia.

The great artist Giambattista Tiepolo lived and worked in Udine in the seventeenth century; some of his frescoes can be seen in several locations in the city and the city council’s tourism website portrays Udine as a handsome city with many fine buildings and a well preserved old core. The main square Piazza Liberta has even been described as “the most beautiful Venetian piazza on the mainland” – praise indeed! Surely worth  a couple of days of anyone’s time!

The train and bus stations are situated almost beside each other in the newer part of town. If you walk from here towards the oldest part of town the buildings get progressively older so it’s like travelling backwards through time. While there are some lovely places to eat and drink in the old town, some of them are quite expensive and if you are cost conscious you might look at some of the perfectly fine places in the area between the stations and the old town as they are much cheaper.

Udine is a well-preserved city in which many of the municipal departments are housed in grand old palazzi which must make the civil servants who work in them feel rather grand. Not only are the dates of the buildings and the names of the architects prominently displayed, there are lots of plaques all over the city celebrating famous past residents who have lived or even just stayed there. They help to paint a picture of Udine past as an important cultural centre, which, indeed it was until Trieste eclipsed it.

 First stop should be the old town and the charming main square with its colourful houses which look especially attractive in the last of the day’s sun. The nightly passeggiata ritual takes place in Udine, as in every other Italian town (and indeed in many other places like Spain, Turkey, Croatia) as families enjoy a stroll together,

perhaps stopping for an ice cream for the kids and a glass of wine for the adults. There are plenty of shady piazzas and cool colonnades where you can find cafes to suit everyone; if one place looks too expensive and posh, you’ll not have to wander far to find another.

As little one full day in Udine is enough to get a feel for the place. The very helpful staff in the tourist information office have a full list of the museums and visitors attractions, not just in Udine but in neighbouring towns too, showing their all their opening times .They also  have  an excellent map and a leaflet that names some of the city’s most prominent buildings and explains their uses, either present or past; this is particularly useful because some of the these buildings are open to the public while others are not; it’s often the case that only the buildings that can be visited are mentioned so it is good to learn something about the most striking ones, even if you can’t go in.

The Tiepolo paintings are housed in the Palazzo Patriarcale not far from the tourist information office but first, if you visit over a weekend, take a stroll around the outdoor flea-market which takes place across the road from the office. As well as antique furniture, collectables and art, there are several stalls selling attractive handmade items such as jewellery and children’s toys.

Entrance to the museum is €5 and there is an exhibition of religious paintings and artefacts on the first floor which you can look at before seeing the Tiepolo works on the floor above. The museum attendant will give you an illustrated booklet in English (which had to be returned afterwards) which describes the key features of each room and explains some of the allegorical stories depicted in the frescoes. Photography is not permitted but some official photographs of the Tiepolo frescoes can be seen here (http://www.musdioc-tiepolo.it ).

Next, stop by the castle, even if just to see the grounds. Perched on a modest hill, the view of the old town’s umber roof tiles is classic Italy, you can also see the snowcapped peaks of the Julian Alps in the distance. The castle itself, originally built in the Venetian style but subsequently added to, is not especially beautiful but the views and the gardens are certainly worth the five minute work out. Beneath the castle, Piazza Liberta is quite stunning; a short walk down the cobbled footpath

brings you straight into the square. On one side is the old town hall the Loggia del Lionello which is built in the very distinctive Venetian Gothic style, and opposite it is the Loggia di San Giovanni and the Torre dell’Orologio (the clock tower). This is one of the most popular meeting places on warm evenings; the cafes put tables and chairs outside while youngsters tend to hang out together on the steps of the loggia. Leading off the piazza is Via Cavour on which pedestrianised street you’ll find more cafes and a magnificent little ice cream shop which serves delights that justify queuing – the mango ice cream is to die for.

Finally peek inside the splendid gothic style duomo – the cathedral – to see some more of Tiepolo’s work. These works as exciting as the ones in the gallery, but there is another delight in store: the little chapel at the bottom of the cathedral’s bell tower is covered in frescoes painted by the artist Vitale da Bologa in the fourteenth century. Between the old town and the train station there are a number of gated gardens that are open to the public and these too are a pleasant place to relax. .

The centre is very atmospheric and compelling, teeming with interesting shops, inviting bars and tempting restaurants. The window displays were beautifully presented and the Italian reputation for style is reflected in the profusion of exclusive boutiques, designer interior stores and exquisite florists. On Saturday morning a small market is held in Piazza Matteotti. Most stalls sell fruit and vegetables, most of it very seasonal and in season, local people clamour to buy freshly picked asparagus (which is on the menu at every restaurant and osteria around May time).

As is usually the case in Italy, there are few restaurants that aren’t Italian (those that aren’t include a Lebanese restaurant and a couple of Chinese restaurants) . Find a cosy little osteria (a traditional restaurant serving food typical of the region) or look out for any restaurant specialising in seafood; the food in both is usually excellent and good value for money. At lunch time try the Italian version of a tapas bar, or more precisely, the Catalan version “pinxtos” where the tapas comes served on a piece of bread. All the items are in a glass display cabinet and you simply point which you’d like to try. There are pieces of delicious frittata, wedges of tasty pizza and, on top of crusty bread, creamed asparagus or salt fish.

In short, Udine is a very picturesque city even if there isn’t a great deal of things to do other than to walk and admire.

Question by gregory: how far is lawton ok regional airport from fort sill oklahoma army base?

Best answer:

Answer by wickedgirl1973
Looks like about 10 miles:

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