Merlana: Villa Rubini, Church Art and Friulian History
Accommodation in Merlana
Merlana Between Villa, Church and Friulian Architectural Heritage
Merlana combines an 18th-century villa, a church shaped by several layers of development and an agricultural building on the Friulian plain into a concentrated cultural and historical picture. If, on your trip to Italy, you are looking not only for a place name but also for tangible traces of history and architecture, you will find a range of points of interest here: an aristocratic villa, sacred art and a building whose use lies between agriculture and a meeting space.
File:Chiesa di Santa Caterina (Merlana, Trivignano Udinese) 03.jpg
Photo: Marchetto da Trieste via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Villa Rubini and the History of the Place
Villa Rubini in Merlana was built in the 18th century by the old Friulian family of the Counts Mantica. The construction period and the origins of the builders draw attention to the region’s history and give the villa a clear place within Merlana’s cultural context.
Santa Caterina Vergine e Martire
The present-day church of Santa Caterina Vergine e Martire in Merlana dates from the 18th or 19th century. It was created by remodeling an older building from the late 16th century. The single-nave interior has a presbytery with a groin vault.
Inside the church there is a 17th-century baptismal font with a copper cover engraved in the 19th century. Also located there is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, created by Vittorio Ferrero at the beginning of the 20th century. The marble high altar is adorned with statues of the martyrs Biagio, bishop, and Lorenzo, deacon, created by Adeodato Periotti, who came from Udine. On the rear wall of the apse, Giovanni Fattori painted the image of the church’s patron saint, Santa Caterina, in 1905.
Above the church’s side entrance is a 16th-century inscription dedicating the predecessor chapel to Saint Nicholas. The church’s bell tower stands separately; an inscription bearing the date June 6, 1803, is attached to it. In Merlana, November 25 is dedicated to Santa Caterina d’Alessandria.
The Folador di Villa Rubini
The Folador di Villa Rubini is a typical agricultural building of the Friulian plain. On the ground floor are two long rooms next to each other: a wine-making room is located in the south, and a wine cellar in the north. The upper floor served as a granary. Since 2010/2011, the building has served as a space for public and private gatherings, including larger events. Thus, this building combines its historical agricultural function with its later use as a meeting space.
Cycling Planning and Accommodation
For your cycling plans, the Anello delle ville friulane cycling tour (R038) is relevant. It can be reached from Udine via the Alpe-Adria Cycle Route (FVG1). The route represents a separate planning component alongside Merlana’s cultural and historical focus and is therefore suitable as a separate consideration for planning your trip.
When choosing accommodation for a trip to Merlana, you can take these focal points into account. If you organize your stay around the church, Villa Rubini and the Folador, architectural and art history take center stage. If the cycling tour is also to be included in your plans, Udine and the connection via FVG1 are specific points to incorporate into your daily itinerary.
For the overarching travel overview: Trivignano Udinese.
_03.jpg){kind=link}