Udine, the heart of Friuli - Venezia Giulia.
Udine is just beautiful: small, intimate, a little Venetian, a little Imperial, the castle, the porticos with very nice shops, beautiful churches and the town hall which is a jewel, great food, fantastic wines and overall it is outside the main tourist routes so even prices are extraordinary convenient compared to the high quality of living. It is considered one of the best cities to live in and it is just one and a half hours from Venice.
Andrea Palladio, one of the most extraordinary architects of the 16th century, created some important buildings in Udine. The church of Santa Maria Della Purità has 18th-century frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo and his son Domenico. The church dedicated to St. Mary of the Castle is probably the oldest in Udine, judging from extant fragments dating back to the Lombard era. It lost its parish status in 1263 when it was annexed to the larger parish of Saint'Odorico (now the Cathedral).
Exclusive venue for civil weddings
Piazza della Libertà stands the town hall (Loggia del Lionello) built in 1448–1457 in the Venetian-Gothic style opposite a clock tower (Torre dell’Orologio) resembling that of the Piazza San Marco in Venice.
What about the incredible churches for a traditional Catholic wedding?
The Cathedral of Udine is an imposing building whose construction started in 1236, on a Latin cross-shaped plan with three naves and chapels along the sides. The church was consecrated in 1335 as Santa Maria Maggiore. At the beginning of the 18th century, a radical transformation project involving both the exterior and the interior was undertaken at the request and expense of the Manin family. The Baroque interior has monumental dimensions and contains many works of art by Tiepolo, Amalteo, and Ludovico Dorigny.
The center of Udine is dominated by the Castle, built by the Venetians from 1517 over a Lombard fortification ruined by an earthquake in 1511. The current Renaissance appearance dates from the intervention of Giovanni da Udine, who finished the works starting from 1547. The castle houses one of the most ancient Parliament Halls of Europe.
