Piazza della Libertà

The place to start any exploration of Udine is at the foot of the hill, in the
gorgeous Piazza della Libertà, a square whose architectural ensemble is matched by few cities in Italy. Here, the fifteenth-century Palazzo del Comune is a homage to the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, and the clock tower facing the palazzo, built in 1527, similarly has a Venetian model – the lion on the facade and the bronze Moors who strike the hours on top of the tower are references to the Torre dell’Orologio in Piazza San Marco. All Udine’s points of interest are about a fifteen-minute stroll from the piazza.