Cividale del Friuli: Jewish Tours of Italy off the Beaten Path

Medieval Bridge in Cividale

Cividale del Friuli is a town located in Friuli Venezia Giulia, the most northeastern region of Italy, very close to the border with Austria to the north and Slovenia to the east. Friuli Venezia Giulia is one of the smallest Italian regions, making Cividale easily accessible from any of the many other places worth visiting in Friuli such as Trieste, Udine, one of the many cozy hamlets located on the Friuli Alps range, or one of the beautiful seaside towns along its coast. 

 

The long history of Cividale traces back to the Roman period when it was founded in the 2nd century BCE by none other than Julius Caesar. In its turbulent history, Cividale saw the destruction at the hands of Attila’s Huns from the far eastern lands of Euro Asia, the invasion of the Lombards from the northern regions of present-day Germany, the friendly domination of the Republic of Venice and the annexation to the Austria-Hungarian Empire.  All these enriched this beautiful town like a multi-layer cake, as many other Italian cities, towns and villages, for you to savor.          

                                                                                                                                                           

Being at such a geographical and cultural crossroad it should not come as a surprise that Cividale del Friuli hosted an important Jewish community for several centuries. The Jewish presence in Cividale dates back almost 800 years and, according to some unverifiable sources, even much earlier. Based on the official records, the first Jews arrived in Cividale in 1273 where they settled without encountering any problems thanks to the protection granted them by the very influential local De Portis family. During this period, Cividale became a very important Ashkenazi center where even a Rabbinical court was active. In 1349, as another proof of coexistence between the local Christian population and the Jews, the local government issued rules on how the religious celebrations and Festivities of both communities had to take place peacefully and with mutual respect. 

 

There is mention of a synagogue built on part of the orchard area of the local monastery – Monastero Maggiore – though no trace of it is left today. Jews were active in the usual few activities and jobs that Jewish communities were allowed to practice throughout Europe: trade, medicine, and money lending, the latter not permitted to Christians. In 1494 the local government ordered the expulsion of the Jews from the town, but apparently the expulsion was never carried out. Traces of Jews settling and living in the Cividale area continue throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.          

Main square in Cividale del Friuli
                                                                                                                 

I started my tour from the historic center of Cividale, its picturesque Piazza Paolo Diacono. The centerpiece of this irregularly shaped square is a fountain featuring Diana and four lion's heads. Before venturing into the beauty of the town, I suggest you stop and sit by one of the coffee bars around the Piazza to sip something hot or refreshing while enjoying the surrounding views and atmosphere. 

 

Leaving the square along Corso Mazzini, which is only open to pedestrian traffic, I passed  the historic town hall and cathedral, both remarkable and facing each other on opposite sides of the Corso and then descended to one of the most iconic spots in Cividale: the beautiful fifteenth-century stone bridge crossing a shallow gorge, named the Ponte del Diavolo, 'Devil's Bridge'. The panorama is amazing, encompassing the picturesque town on top of the stone cliffs, its array of church towers, the winding river Natisone below, and green hills rising to distant mountains, snow-capped for part of the year.     

 

On every trip I take, I also love to look for something different and “adventurous” and of course Cividale was no exception. Here I found the hidden underground treasure of this small town: the “Ipogeo Celtico” (“Celtic hypogeum”). This is made of a series of multi-level rock chambers and grottoes carved close to the cliff face. It is not known how old the Ipogeo is, who dug it and for what purpose, adding to this “adventure” also a flavor of mystery.  Most probably it is a pre-Roman Celtic site meant perhaps for burials or religious rites. Moreover, as written on a board by its entrance, at different points in time it even hosted Jewish Mikvehs, ritual baths and a prison.  

Cividale city gate

My next stop after this underground adventure was the Museo Archeologico Nazionale where, amongst the many interesting artifacts belonging to the long and intricate history of Cividale, are also on display several Jewish artifacts found in Cividale and its surroundings. I left for Cividale's last Lombard gem:  the “Tempietto Longobardo” (Small Lombard Temple”). This is a small eighth- or ninth century Lombard chapel now enclosed within the extensive buildings of a former convent, the Monastero di Santa Maria in Valle.          

 

Actually, the Tempietto Longobardo was not my last sight in Cividale. In fact, one of the main pleasures when visiting an Italian location is simply to stroll casually around it which I could not miss doing also in Cividale. Here are some hints: walking up the street opposite the Duomo will bring you to Foro Giulio Cesare, a wide-open piazza dominated by a monument to Adelaide Ristori, a Cividale actress and patriot at the time of the Risorgimento (the Italian political and military movement to reunify Italy in the 19th century). From this square you can loop back around to the right through some of Cividale's quaint little lanes while enjoying some window shopping.                                                                                                                                                     

 

Explore the secrets of the “Bel Paese” and of its hidden gems like Cividale del Friuli that only locals seem to know about and are waiting to be discovered by you. 

Andrea Alcalay from La Tour I-Talya. LaTour I-Talya is a project established and managed by a team of Italian Jews working together with one of the largest and most prestigious Italian Tour Operators. LaTour I-Talya specializes in tour packages which  focus on the amazingly rich Jewish historical and cultural heritage found throughout Italy.

Read more articles from our Hidden Gems of Italy series:
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A Walk Through History: Exploring Ferrara's Jewish Heritage
Beyond Rome: The Enchanting Villages of Anagni and Alatri
Explore the Charm of Casate Monferrato
Get in Touch with the oldest Jewish community in Tuscany
The Jewish beauty of Florence
Mantua: First stop in the Renaissance cities of Northern Italy
Pitigliano: "Little Jerusalem" in the Tuscan Maremma Region
The Charming Padova (Padua)
The Marche Region: Undiscovered area of Central Italy