Cividale del Friuli

Cividale del Friuli, in the province of Udine, was made the capital of the first Lombard duchy in Italy in 568 by King Alboin. It soon became a powerful political and religious centre, as well as a focus of art and culture, thanks to the presence of Duke Pemmo and the Patriarch of Aquileia. After the kingdom was conquered by the Carolingians, the city was named Civitas Austriae, from which derives its current name; it subsequently became the capital of the Patria del Friuli, leading to important growth in building activity.