Castello di Toppo (Travesio)

Standing on a rocky outcrop between the Rivers Meduna and Tagliamento, Toppo Castle was first mentioned in 1186 but probably dates back to a much earlier period, since some ancient ruins - maybe dating from the Roman age - have been found on the site. In 1188 it was granted as a feudal holding to Ursinus de Toppo, officer of Gotffried, Patriarch of Aquileia. In 1220 the Counts of Toppo, members of the Friulian Parliament, ceded the estate to the Counts of Ragogna, to whom they were closely related. By 1302 they must have regained possession of the castle, as they sold a part of it to the Counts of Soffumbergo. In 1334, through rivalry with the neighbouring Counts of Montereale, they were once more deprived of the estate, and again in 1412. After the Venetian conquest of Friuli in 1420, the castle lost its strategic importance and fell into decay. In 1567 Count Girolamo di Porcia described it as “ruins of a castle on the other side of the River Tagliamento, standing on the first foothills of the mountains, 21 miles from Udine”.