Castello di Strassoldo di sopra (Cervignano del Fr.)

According to tradition, Strassoldo was built at the time of the Saxon kings as a defense against the Hungarians. More probably, it was a Lombard fortification built to contrast the dangerous byzantine presence along the coast. The Counts of Strassoldo were free feudal lords, having settled in Friuli before 1077 when the Patriarch of Aquileia was granted the temporal jurisdiction of Friuli. The Strassoldos, who were descended from the Counts of Lavariano, played a prominent role in the history of Friuli. The castle of Strassoldo di sopra (Upper castle) was built around an ancient keep, shortened in the 19th century but still standing at a height of 12 metres. Access to the castle is by the ancient Cistigna (Friulian for chestnut) gate; the castle complex includes a palatial residence opening onto an elegant garden surrounded by a canal, farming and administrative buildings, and the charming chapel of San Nicolò, enlarged in the 18th century and containing interesting examples of local art. Numerous family heirlooms are contained inside the castle, which in the 19th century was a residence of Field-Marshal Joseph Radetzky, who had married a Countess.