Cividale del Friuli, which stretches 70 km from the resort of Lignano on the Adriatic coast of Italy, was founded between 56 and 50 BC, at the initiative of Julius Caesar. Then he was called Forum Lulii – that it came to be the modern name of the region of Friuli. And today you can see the ruins of the walls that were built by the ancient Romans.

In the 5th century BC, after the destruction by the Huns cities Lolium Carnicom and Aquileia, the population of the Forum Lulii grew, and the city became an important strategic post and Bishop's chair. In the second half of the 6th century it became the capital of the first Lombard Duchy in Italy, the Duchy of Friuli. And then the city got its current name – Civitas that meant "best in class".

Devastated by the Avars in 610, the year, Cividale remained an important military and political center even in the times of the Venetian Republic, but from the 12th century it became a free city and busy shopping centre – the largest in the entire region of Friuli. In 1353, the year the Emperor Charles IV discovered here University. At the end of the 18th century, the peace Treaty between Napoleon and Austria Cividale moved to the Habsburgs, and only in 1866, the year was annexed to Italy.

Traces of all these numerous historical events, especially during the reign of the Lombards, preserved in the town, and Cividale shows them with pride. If you start your walk through the city with the Cathedral square, you can reach the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, built in the 15th to 18th centuries in the Venetian Gothic style. Inside it is stored silver the altarpiece Pellegrino II is one of the masterpieces of Italian medieval jewelry art.

Near the Cathedral is the Christian Museum, which among other exhibits, you can see the baptistery of Callisto and the altar of Ratchis, outstanding works of art of the era of the Lombards. The baptistery is the name of the Patriarch Callisto – it is an octagonal font with columns supporting a delicately decorated with floral ornaments of the arch. The altar of Ratchis, dedicated to the eponymous king of the Lombards, is an ornate rectangular stone.

The Piazza Duomo is the Palazzo dei Provveditori built on the design of Palladio, and now it houses the national archaeological Museum of Cividale del Friuli, which houses artifacts from the period of the Lombards and important medieval manuscripts. And the square lies the ancient city of the Lombards: in front of the Temple of the Lombards, built in the 8th century, is a beautiful view of the river Natisone. In the temple you can still see the priceless works of art. Interesting and the building of the temple – its original purpose, the original structure and the names of the architects still remain unknown. Particularly attracted the attention of stucco on the main portal and frescoes.

Another mystery of Cividale Celtic are catacombs located near the Temple of the Lombards. They consist of several underground rooms carved into the rock with primitive tools. A steep staircase leads to the Central hall, which runs three of the corridor. In the walls knocked out numerous niches and benches, but the main thing that attracts the attention of three rough rough mask. Their purpose is shrouded in mystery.

And, of course, speaking of Cividale, not to mention the intriguing legend of this city – on the so-called Devil's bridge across the river Natisone. The legend says that this huge bridge was built by the devil himself in exchange for the soul of the first past by him. Helped him in his mother, who in her apron brought a large stone and threw it in the middle of the river, just between the bridge spans. However, the inhabitants of Cividale was more cunning than the devil and the first allowed on the bridge the dog – so they fulfilled the condition, and the devil had to settle for the soul of the animal.