Tom`s travels: Udine, Venzone & Gemona (02/01/2017)

After coming back to Italy for the Christmas break and right before heading back to Krakow for the end of the semester, we decided to have a family trip in Friuli together with Kyle, will's good friend. We woke up later in the morning and headed by car first to the town of Udine. After parking the car, we headed into town and passed by the old walls that used to surround the city. We passed next to Porta Torriani, and entered the pretty Piazza Matteotti, lined with beautiful palaces and houses all around its perimeter. At its center stands a renaissance fountain and column and on its western side stands the Church of S Giacomo which originally gave its name to the square. We entered the church and walked around its pretty baroque interior; in one of the chapels we also admired a well made nativity scene. After exiting the church, we headed south west, passing in front of the early 20th century city hall and reaching the Cathedral. As it was midday, the Cathedral had just closed, but we nonetheless enjoyed its Gothic structure from the outside with its hexagonal bell tower. Walking a little further we reached the beautiful Piazza della Libertá, the oldest square of the city, and certainly the most impressive. At its center sit a column with the Lion of St Mar's symbol of Venice's rule over the city in the past, a renaissance fountain, the justice column, and two statues of Hercules and Cacus. At the southern end of the square is the Loggia del Lionello from the 15th century in Venetian Gothic style; it used to serve as the municipal building in the past and still serves that purpose today. On the opposite side stands the Loggia and Tempietto of San Giovanni dating to the 16th century with at its top the Clock tower, dating to the same period and very similar to the one in Venice's main square. From there we headed uphill through the Arco Bollani, an arch buil by Palladio and the entrance to the castle hill. Alongside the path, ran the Porticato del Lippomanno, a gothic arched way leading up the top of the hill. We passed by the church of S Maria in Castello which was closed, and reached the top where the castle is located. Rather than an actual defensive structure, the castle is more like a renaissance palace and holds a few museums inside, which we had no time to visit. After getting back to the car we headed out and met with a good friend of the family to have lunch in a place called Taverna Al Grop in the nearby town of Tavagnacco. Then we headed north and reached the town of Venzone, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The town was unfortunately struck by an earthquake in 1976 and completely destroyed; it was then fully reconstructed using each single stone back to where it belonged. After having parked the car, we headed into town following the main street that cuts right into the centre. All around were lavender shops, as there are quite some field around the area and the place is famous for it, After stopping briefly to admire the main square with its gothic stone town hall and clock tower, we continued on and reached the Cathedral. Dating to the 14th century it still holds some medieval frescoes despite the destruction by the earthquake, and the slender rebuilt bell tower which can be seen from far away due to its height. We then entered the bar besides the church and got the coins to visit one of the main attractions of the town, located in the former baptistery right in front of the cathedral entrance. Under the baptistery are displayed 5 of the 42 mummies which were found during works on the cathedral in the 17th century. Only 15 remained after the earthquake and 5 are permanently displayed to the public. The bodies date between the 13th and 19th centuries (others were buried after the first were found); supposedly the bodies mummified due to the presence of a specific soil and fungus. After that we exited, and I decided to quickly walk around the town's perimeter admiring the stone walls and the surrounding landscape. Once back in the car we headed south and stopped in the town of Gemona del Friuli. It was dark as we reached the place, and heading through the main street we took some stairs which brought as the top of a hill where the castle is located. Only a tower stands there but there is a great view over the town and cathedral. After getting back down into town, we headed inside the Cathedral itself. The town was hit by the earthquake too and partially reconstructed. The Cathedral took its Gothic form back and holds a beautiful facade with statues, and impressive rose windows. The interior holds some ancient decorations still but most was unfortunately lost during the quake. After visiting we ended the day by having dinner at San Daniele del Friuli in a place which served only Prosciutto San Daniele with a few sides such as various vegetables.