Castello di Flagogna (Forgaria)

An estate of the Marquis of Attems, Flagogna’s Castelvecchio probably dates back to Lombard times. Destroyed by a violent earthquake in 1348, its stones were used to restore Castelnuovo (also known as Castle of San Giovanni), a more recent castle which was built before 1280 on a site further to the east. During a conflict involving Tristano Savorgnan, it was taken by the city of Udine and became a fief of the Valentinis family, who stripped it bare before handing it over to Venice in 1420. Finally handed back to the Savorgnan family, it suffered extensive damage during an earthquake in 1511. Following that event and having lost its strategic importance, it was abandoned and eventually fell into a state of decay.

Thanks to its location on top of a sheer rock, Castelnuovo could be easily defended. Sections of the enclosing walls with the north-facing gate have survived to this day. Inside the walls, there are ruins of the main tower and the 15th century chapel of San Giovanni, built upon the remains of an earlier church.