Musei del Castello di Udine

About the museum

The Castle of Udine, seat of the patriarch of Aquileia and later of the Venetian lieutenant of the Patria del Friuli, took on its present appearance after the earthquake of 26 March 1511, which brought down part of the medieval structures. The reconstruction became a project for total renewal, entrusted to the architect Giovanni Fontana; the first stone was laid on 2 April 1517. Other architects contributed to the works, among them Giovanni da Udine, who in 1547 designed an external staircase, and Francesco Floreani, who in 1566 completed the Salone del Parlamento, decorated with a cycle that is a true anthology of mid-16th-century Friulian painting.

The building became a museum on 26 July 1906, on the occasion of the celebrations for the fortieth anniversary of the union of Friuli with Italy. Today the ground floor houses the Risorgimento Museum and the Archaeological Museum, both redisplayed in 2013 with multimedia supports; the first floor hosts temporary exhibitions; the second floor houses the Gallery of Ancient Art, with works from the 14th to the 19th century, including paintings by Carpaccio, Caravaggio and Tiepolo; the third floor the Friulian Museum of Photography, founded in 2001 and renewed in 2019.

The castle also holds collections that can be consulted by booking: the numismatic collections (over 50,000 pieces), the Gabinetto dei disegni e delle stampe (drawings and prints room, with works by Tiepolo, Dürer and Rembrandt), the collections of sculpture and the gipsoteca (plaster-cast gallery), and the armoury. The Biblioteca d'arte and the Fototeca are also open to the public. The castle is part of the Civici Musei di Udine, which include other venues with their own entrances and hours.

Highlights

• Gallery of Ancient Art with paintings by Carpaccio, Caravaggio and Tiepolo
• Archaeological Museum with tactile and multisensory route
• Risorgimento Museum on the history of Friuli from 1797 to 1866
• Friulian Museum of Photography on the third floor
• Salone del Parlamento with sixteenth-century decorations

Permanent exhibitions

• Galleria d'arte antica – Chronological route in twelve rooms with paintings and sculptures from the mid-14th century to the early 19th century, including works by Carpaccio, Caravaggio and Tiepolo.
• Museo archeologico – Six rooms dedicated to Friulian collectors, with Magna Graecia vases and protohistoric, Roman and early medieval grave goods, and a tactile and multisensory route.
• Museo del Risorgimento – Five rooms on local history from the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797 to the annexation of Friuli to Italy in 1866, with finds from the Great War.

Operated by

Comune di Udine – Civici Musei di Udine

Visitors per year

approx. 32,346

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on Easter Monday (Lunedì dell'Angelo), on International Museum Day (May), on 2 June and on 12 July (feast of the patron saints Ermacora and Fortunato).

Rates in force from 1 January 2026. Free admission also for tourist guides and escorts, ICOM members, holders of the FVG Card, journalists and employees of the Comune di Udine. Tickets are bought online (Vivaticket) and at the museum ticket offices. They may vary during temporary exhibitions.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

All rooms of the Castle museums are accessible to people with physical disabilities, except the entrance hall, the entrance corridor and the storeroom of the Archaeological Museum (for wheelchair users, entry to the museum is through the Playroom). The rear entrance has a ramp; the lifts have Braille buttons and a video intercom. The Risorgimento Museum is reached by a stair lift on request. A wheelchair is available. The accessible toilet is on the ground floor, next to the Playroom. In the Archaeological Museum there are a tactile route with original finds, multisensory stations, multimedia with subtitles, simplified language and Italian Sign Language, and an app with descriptions for visitors who are blind. Guide dogs are admitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The Archaeological Museum has a Playroom for the youngest and a children's comic book; some original finds can be touched. Changing tables in the toilets on the second and third floors; relaxation area on the first floor. Workshops for children are offered in the Archaeological Museum.

Getting there & parking

Address: Piazzale Patria del Friuli 1 (Piazzale del Castello).

Amenities & dining

• Lockers

Umbrella stand and luggage lockers with numbered keys at the ticket office. Relaxation area on the first floor.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit