The Castle of Udine, one of Friuli’s most emblematic landmarks and once the seat of the Patriarch of Aquileia and the Venetian Lieutenant of the Patria del Friuli, became a museum on 26 July, 1906, on the occasion of celebrations to mark the fortieth anniversary of the unification of Friuli with Italy.

Today the ground floor of the castle is home to two recently opened museums: the Museo del Risorgimento and the Museo Archeologico. Planned and curated with fine attention to detail, both are equipped with innovative multimedia aids. Extending along the entire length of the main floor, the Galleria d’Arte Antica houses valuable works of art from the 1300s to the 1800s, including paintings by Carpaccio, Caravaggio and Tiepolo. The third floor hosts the impressive Museo della Fotografia which showcases the work of some of the most important photographers working in Udine during the nineteenth-century and twentieth-century such as Pignat, Bujatti and Brisighelli.

There are further collections that may be visited by appointment: the Numismatic Collections, the Galleries of Drawings and Prints, and the Sculpture and Plaster Cast Collections.

The Castle also hosts two other important cultural facilities open to the public: the Biblioteca d’Arte (art library), which holds over 45,000 books and approximately 350 periodicals and the Fototeca (photo library) which houses more than 180,000 images including photographs, negatives and original plates.