La Casa Medievale: Cividale's Goldsmith House
Origins and Architecture
La Casa Medievale stands at Stretta Tomasino Cerchiari, 2, within the historic artisan quarter of Borgo Brossana in Cividale del Friuli. Dating to the mid-to-second half of the 14th century, the three-story building was constructed during the Patriarchal era of Aquileia, a period when the town flourished as a regional center for metalcraft and coinage.
The residence was erected directly over the truncated stone remains of an earlier medieval defensive tower (torre mozzata). This composite history is visible along the right exterior wall, where a stark textural contrast appears: the massive, tightly fitted stone ashlar of the fortified tower base gives way to a mixed masonry of rough stone blocks, brick, and river pebbles comprising the upper domestic levels.
The Medieval Goldsmith's Workshop
Traditionally referred to as the Casa dell’Orefice, the structure represents a rare surviving secular workshop from the Late Middle Ages. Designed as an integrated domestic and commercial unit, its functional layout allocated the ground floor to the artisan's workshop and an open, street-facing transaction counter. The upper floors accommodated the craftsman’s residential and administrative quarters.
While most of the facade's doors and windows underwent alterations in subsequent centuries, one distinct opening remains untouched. On the first floor, a single miniature medieval window is preserved in its original form. Local trade tradition notes that this specific aperture was designed exclusively to cast targeted natural light onto the craftsman's accounting desk.
Interior Spolia and Local Lore
Inside the property, evidence of historical repurposing extends beyond the foundation walls. An early medieval sculpted stone relief fragment, originally part of an ancient architectural cornice or pillar, was salvaged and integrated into the interior wall fabric as spolia.
The residence is also colloquially known as the Casa del Mille and has long carried the local reputation of being Cividale's oldest house. However, architectural and archaeological consensus identifies the standing domestic building as a 14th-century structure, with only the repurposed defensive tower base originating from an earlier period.
Current Heritage Role
Situated near the Natisone River along the pedestrian axis linking Piazza del Duomo and Stretta della Giudaica with the complex of Santa Maria in Valle and the Longobard Temple, La Casa Medievale serves as an architectural anchor in Borgo Brossana. Having operated as an active goldsmith workshop well into modern times, the property is now under the municipal stewardship of the Comune di Cividale del Friuli, opening seasonally as an exhibition and heritage space dedicated to historic craftsmanship and 14th-century domestic life.
FAQ
Why is the building colloquially called Casa del Mille?
Although local tradition dubs it Casa del Mille and the oldest house in Cividale, archaeological and architectural studies show that the domestic residence dates to the 14th century. Only the repurposed stone defensive tower beneath it dates to an earlier period.
What was the original function of La Casa Medievale?
Built in the 14th century during the Patriarchal era of Aquileia, the building served as a combined artisan residence and workshop, traditionally identified as a goldsmith's atelier. The ground floor hosted the counter and workshop, while the upper levels provided administrative and living spaces.
What is unique about the miniature window on the first floor?
While most facade openings were enlarged or altered in later centuries, a single miniature medieval window on the first floor was preserved intact. According to local trade tradition, it was crafted specifically to illuminate the craftsman's accounting desk.
