Oh here it comes: the art history surprise.

I went to Cividale del Friuli because it was close to where I was staying in Udine and a UNESCO site but didn’t know much about it. So, once I finally figured out where to catch the bus, I took a quick ride followed by a short walk to a building called the Tempietto and inside I saw…

GAH!

Let’s back up a minute.

First a few shots of the turquoise river that runs through the town…

Which was full of lovely and well-maintained medieval buildings.

I paused in front of the Duomo to listen to the bells ring.

Now, before I introduce you to an artistic masterpiece, we need to talk about this culinary masterpiece: a frico pastry. Frico is a specialty of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region—some kind of cheese and potato mixture. I ate it in front of the duomo and like all truly perfect foods it was more than the sum of its parts, with a crisp pastry, all the flavors of the filling distinct and granular.

Inside this building, the Tempietto Longobardo, there was a small but exceptionally fine collection of early medieval art. Then I entered an 8th century chapel and…

…saw some kind of sculptures around an opening above a delicately carved frieze of grapes and vines.

These 8th century sculptures are made of stucco. 8th century! Three hundred years later artists were churning out Madonnas nursing spider-baby Jesuses from boobs emerging directly from their collarbones. And just look at these elegant ladies. Kinda stiff, sure, but in a regal way.

I particularly liked this lady gesturing towards the arched opening, which I imagine was once flooded with light.

After a far too short time, I heard the officious attendant say the phrase I’ve learned to dread in Italy: “Madame, you must leave now!”.

But, as someone who has a lot of experience being ordered out of art history revery, I had a plan. I’d noticed an upper window near the sculptures and, exiting the chapel, hustled up a flight of stairs.

Aha! An even closer view of the sculptures.

And their sharp-nosed faces

And their neatly lined-up feet.

These serene ladies survived multiple earthquakes and the Black Plague. Even more than an art history surprise—I would call them a miraculous revelation.

How I got to Cividale del Friuli: day trip from Udine by bus (there is supposed to be a train but the train was not running when I was there).

Where I slept: Mercatovecchio.  Price: €170 for a room with a kitchenette.  Recommended: yes