The castle crowns a 138-metre hill in the centre of the city. The current Renaissance building, with a façade by Giovanni da Udine, replaces a 16th-century earthquake-shattered fortress and now houses the Civic Museums — the gallery of ancient art, the archaeological museum, the photography museum, and a print collection.
It is a fifteen-minute walk up from Piazza della Libertà via the loggia steps. The terrace at the top gives the best panorama of Udine: red rooftops, the cathedral campanile, the green plain, and — on a clear day — the Carnic Alps to the north and Slovenian hills to the east. Open Tuesday to Sunday; one ticket covers all the museums.