The castle itself, however, had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1511. Rebuilding, to a design by the architect, Giovanni Fontana, began in 1517. The façade of the church of Santa Maria was redesigned by the Venetian, Gaspare Negro, and the bell-tower was also restructured. These were the first of the city’s major edifices to be built by accomplished architects. 
    Publicly commissioned works were complemented by the generosity of the Antonini family, originally from Carnia, whose imposing palazzos did much to beautify the city. The finest is undoubtedly Palazzo Antonini, now the Udine offices of the Banca d’Italia, which the celebrated architect, Andrea Palladio, was invited to design in 1566. The same century saw the laying of the foundations of the Monte di Pietà building, now the headquarters of the Cassa di Risparmio. 
    Another famous family was responsible for the radical restructuring of the Duomo in the early eighteenth century when the original Gothic structure was transformed by Baroque embellishments. It was, in fact, the Manins who paid for the entire project. 

 

    The last two patriarchs of Aquileia, Dionisio and Daniele Dolfin, also contributed some of the most precious jewels in Udine’s architectural heritage. They commenced work on the new patriarchal palace, commissioning the architect, Domenico Rossi, and inviting the artist, Giambattista Tiepolo, to decorate it. The Dolfins gave the architect, Giorgio Massari, the job of designing the new façade for the church of Sant’Antonio Abate; they built the library that today conserves over ten thousand volumes, including many rare and valuable manuscripts in Greek and Hebrew; and finally they commissioned Tiepolo to decorate the Oratorio della Purità, where visitors can admire one of his finest masterpieces, the frescoed ceiling depicting Our Lady of the Assumption. 
    On 2 May 1797, the last Venetian lieutenant, Alvise Mocenigo, left Udine. The city and the rest of Friuli changed hands and Napoleon’s French administrators replaced the Venetians. The Venetian Republic looked on helplessly as its long history came to an end and in Udine, Venetian emblems were demolished. 

 

The winged lion that had stood atop the two columns in Piazza Libertà and the other over the Arco Bollani were taken down ­ they have since been reinstated ­ and Udine prepared to welcome the new administration, but without the demonstrations of “libertarian exultation” that took place in many other towns. On 23 June 1797, the French commander, Bernadotte, instituted a government in Friuli comprising 23 citizens chosen from all parts of the province, thus ushering in a major series of financial, judicial and administrative reforms that radically transformed the ancient Venetian jurisdiction. 
    In September of the same year, Napoleon himself on his way from Milan set up his headquarters in the magnificent villa at Passariano, the imposing residence of the last Doge, Manin. There, he initiated the talks that would lead to the peace known as the treaty of Campoformido. 
Ciconi relates that “The Austrian plenipotentiaries stayed in Udine, Count Cobentzel lodging at Palazzo Florio. Some of the meetings took place at Cobentzel’s quarters in Udine while others were held at Passariano. In Udine, the count sat on one side of a rectangular table with Count Meerfeld, Marquis Gallo and Baron Engelmann. Napoleon sat opposite on his own. 

(to be continued →)

 
  La loggia di San Giovanni con la torre dell’Orologio di San Giovanni da Udine The Loggia San Giovanni with the clock tower of San Giovanni da Udine Loggia San Giovanni, mit dem Uhrturm von San Giovanni da Udine