Aquileia

Discover Aquileia

In 181 BC, three thousand Roman families led by the triumvirs Publius Scipio Nasica, Gaius Flaminius and Lucius Manlius Acidinus planted the first boundary stones on an alluvial plain close to the lagoon, founding what would become the fourth most populous city in the Empire. Today Aquileia has 3,398 inhabitants and sits just 5 metres above sea level, in the province of Udine, but beneath its cultivated fields and roads lie entire neighbourhoods, forums, ports and necropolises. Understanding what to see in Aquileia means preparing to walk across one of the most extensive archaeological sites in Europe, where every ploughing turns up mosaic fragments, coins and amphorae. Not a rhetorical open-air exhibition, but an active excavation site, with dig campaigns continuing every summer.

History and origins of Aquileia

The very name of the colony has fuelled a debate lasting centuries. The most widely accepted hypothesis links it to the river Aquilis, a watercourse now identified as the Natissa, which ran through the settlement and provided a navigable connection to the sea. Other theories associate it with the Latin word aquila (eagle), recalling the favourable omen that, according to the tradition reported by Livy, accompanied the founding. Rome chose that location with clear strategic intent: the Friulian plain was the natural corridor for controlling incursions by transalpine peoples — Histri, Carni, Taurisci — and at the same time establishing a commercial outpost towards the East. The Latin colony received ius Latii in 181 BC and full Roman citizenship around 90 BC, under the Lex Iulia. In less than two centuries, Aquileia transformed from a military garrison into one of the most profitable trading hubs in the Mediterranean: amber from the Baltic, iron from Noricum, glass, oil, wine and garum passed through its river port, whose Istrian stone quays have been brought to light during excavations along the Natissa.

The imperial age marked the city’s zenith. Augustus stayed here on several occasions, and it was here that he received Herod the Great, King of Judea. In 238 AD Aquileia withstood the siege of Maximinus Thrax, an episode that the historians Herodian and the Historia Augusta recount in great detail: civilians took part in the defence, women cut their hair to make bowstrings, and the emperor was eventually murdered by his own soldiers beneath the walls. Under Diocletian and then Constantine, the city became the seat of one of the imperial mints — coins bearing the abbreviation AQ are common in numismatic collections across Europe — and the centre of an increasingly influential Christian community. The Patriarchate of Aquileia, formally established in the 6th century but with roots in the 3rd, exercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction for over a millennium across a territory stretching from Bavaria to Istria.

The rupture came in 452 AD, when Attila devastated the city. Tradition holds that part of the population fled to the lagoon islands, contributing to the birth of Grado and, indirectly, of Venice. Aquileia never fully recovered as an urban centre: the patriarchate continued to function, but its seat shifted between Aquileia and Grado, generating a schism that lasted centuries. In 1420 the Serenissima took control of Friuli, and in 1751 Pope Benedict XIV suppressed the patriarchate, dividing its responsibilities between the archdioceses of Udine and Gorizia. From then on Aquileia became an agricultural village. The archaeological rediscovery began in the 19th century and continued with Giovanni Battista Brusin in the 20th, leading to UNESCO recognition in 1998, which placed the archaeological area and the patriarchal basilica on the World Heritage List.

What to see in Aquileia: 5 key attractions

1. Patriarchal Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta

Built from the 4th century onwards at the behest of Bishop Theodore and remodelled in Romanesque forms in the 11th century by Patriarch Poppo, the basilica dominates the village’s main square with its 73-metre-high bell tower. The principal reason to visit is the Theodorean mosaic floor: over 760 square metres of polychrome mosaics depicting biblical scenes, allegories, marine creatures and the famous episode of Jonah swallowed by the whale. It is the largest early Christian mosaic in the Western world. The crypt of frescoes, beneath the presbytery, preserves 12th-century pictorial cycles dedicated to the lives of the patron saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus. Admission to the basilica and mosaics requires a ticket, and the site is open every day, with hours varying by season.

2. National Archaeological Museum

Located along Via Roma, a short walk from the basilica, the museum was founded in 1882 and reorganised during the 20th century. The collections include carved gemstones, worked amber, imperial marble portraits, blown glass and one of the richest assemblages of Latin epigraphy in northern Italy. Of particular interest is the section devoted to daily life: scales, surgical needles, oil lamps, children’s toys. The outdoor lapidary garden gathers funerary stelae, votive altars and architectural fragments recovered from urban excavations. The museum is managed by the Ministry of Culture and is part of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Museum Network. A visit of at least two hours is recommended to fully explore the materials on display.

3. Roman forum and river port

Of the forum, the foundations of the civil basilica and part of the colonnade that bordered the public square — the colony’s commercial and administrative hub — remain visible. About 500 metres away, along the course of the Natissa, you reach the river port: a quay of Istrian stone blocks extending over 300 metres, flanked by warehouses and customs buildings. The riverside walkway, shaded by cypresses, allows close-up observation of the structures. This sector of the ancient city makes Aquileia’s mercantile dimension tangible — its relationship with the sea and with the routes linking Rome to the Danubian provinces. Access to the area is free of charge.

4. Excavation crypt and Südhalle

Beneath the north nave of the basilica, an underground route inaugurated in 1998 reveals the superimposed remains of four building phases, from the pre-existing Roman domus to medieval floor surfaces. Visitors walk on transparent walkways that allow them to look down on the stratifications from above. The so-called Südhalle, or southern hall, is an early Christian space adjacent to the basilica that preserves an additional mosaic floor featuring pastoral scenes and Christological symbols. Together, these spaces offer a stratigraphic reading of the site’s building history that few other places in Italy make equally legible. Access is included in the basilica ticket.

5. Roman burial ground along the Via Annia

Southeast of the centre, along the route of the ancient Via Annia that connected Aquileia to Adria and Padua, five Roman funerary enclosures dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD can be found. The tombs, enclosed by low brick walls, preserve stelae with Latin inscriptions, figured reliefs and cinerary urns. The site is significant because it documents the funerary rites of different social classes: freedmen, veterans, merchants. The area is fenced but freely accessible, with explanatory panels. The walk from the historic centre to the burial ground crosses open fields and gives a sense of the sheer scale of the original urban layout.

Local cuisine and regional products

Aquileia’s cuisine is that of the lower Friulian plain, a tradition that balances lagoon products with those of the cereal-growing lowlands. The most representative dish of the area is boreto alla graisana, a fish soup of Grado origin closely linked to the Aquileian table, prepared with eel, grey mullet or turbot, white wine vinegar, garlic and no tomato — a rule that sets this recipe apart from every other Adriatic fish soup. Alongside the boreto, biscotti di Aquileia, dry almond-and-citrus biscuits whose recipe is passed down in certain village families, appear on festive occasions. Frico, a cheese fritter made with aged Montasio mixed with potatoes and onion, is served in every trattoria in the area: crisp at the edges, soft in the centre, accompanied by steaming polenta.

Among officially recognised products, Montasio DOP — a cooked-paste cheese made with cow’s milk from Friulian mountain dairies — is the most widespread within a radius of a few kilometres. Rosa di Gorizia IGP, a winter radicchio with a crimson colour and a delicate flavour, grows in the surrounding fields and appears in local markets from December to February. The territory falls within the production area of Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP, whose production regulations require ageing in the municipality of San Daniele del Friuli but permit pig farming throughout the region. The wine also deserves attention: Aquileia lends its name to the DOC Friuli Aquileia appellation, which includes whites such as Friulano, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon, and reds such as Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso and Cabernet Franc, grown on clay-sandy soils with significant temperature variation.

Local festivals punctuate the gastronomic calendar. The feast of the patron saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus, on 12 July, features a programme of events including market stalls and open-air dining with traditional dishes. Throughout summer and autumn, festivals devoted to viticulture and lagoon fishing follow one another. Trattorias along the main road and in the historic centre offer menus featuring jota — a thick soup of beans, sauerkraut and pork — and gubana, a rolled pastry filled with walnuts, raisins, pine nuts, grappa and lemon zest, which originates in the Natisone Valleys but has spread across the entire Friulian plain.

When to visit Aquileia: the best time of year

Spring — from mid-April to the end of June — is the ideal season for those who want to explore the open-air archaeological areas without suffering the humid heat of the Friulian plain, which between July and August can reach 34–35 °C with high humidity levels. In spring the days are long, the fields around the forum bloom with poppies, and the light is favourable for photographing the ruins. September and October offer similar conditions, with the added advantage of the grape harvest in the DOC Friuli Aquileia vineyards and lower tourist numbers. On 12 July the feast day of the saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus falls: it is worth timing your visit to coincide with it, if you wish to attend religious celebrations and civic events in the village.

Winter is cold and often foggy, with temperatures dropping below zero on January nights. However, the basilica and the museum are open all year round, and the low season offers the chance to admire the Theodorean mosaics in near-total solitude — a rare privilege for a UNESCO site. Archaeological dig campaigns generally take place between June and September: during those months it is possible to watch archaeologists at work in the open excavation areas, an experience that adds a living dimension to the visit. It is advisable to dedicate a full day to Aquileia, combining the basilica-crypt-museum circuit in the morning and the outdoor areas — forum, river port, burial ground — in the afternoon.

How to reach Aquileia

By car, the reference motorway is the A4 Venice–Trieste: the recommended exit is Palmanova, from which you drive approximately 17 kilometres south on regional road 352 to Aquileia. Those coming from Trieste can exit at Villesse-Gorizia and follow signs for Grado, passing through Aquileia. The distance from Udine is about 42 kilometres (40 minutes), from Trieste 40 kilometres (45 minutes), and from Venice 130 kilometres (roughly an hour and a half). Parking in the village is straightforward: free areas are available near the museum and the basilica.

The nearest railway station is Cervignano del Friuli-Aquileia, on the Venice–Trieste line, approximately 8 kilometres from Aquileia’s centre: from there a local bus service connects the station to the village. The closest airport is Trieste Airport at Ronchi dei Legionari, just 20 kilometres away (about 20 minutes by car), served by domestic and international flights. Venice Marco Polo Airport is approximately 120 kilometres away. For those arriving by bicycle, Aquileia is crossed by the Alpe-Adria cycle route, which links Salzburg to Grado through Friuli: a flat and well-signposted route in its final stretch.

Other villages to discover in Friuli Venezia Giulia

Friuli Venezia Giulia is a region where landscapes change dramatically within a few kilometres, and visiting Aquileia can become the starting point for itineraries heading towards the mountains. About an hour and a half’s drive to the northeast, the village of Attimis marks the transition between the plain and the first morainic hills. Here stand the ruins of two medieval castles — the upper and the lower — which document the defensive system of Friulian feudal lords between the 12th and 14th centuries. The visit provides a stark contrast with Aquileia’s Roman archaeology: you move from the civilisation of the forum and port to the vertical logic of towers and fortified settlements, set against a landscape of hornbeam and beech woods.

Further north still, pushing towards Carnia, you reach Ampezzo, a mountain settlement in the Tagliamento valley. Here the context is Alpine: a forestry-based economy, stone-and-timber architecture, and a strategic position along the road connecting Friuli to Cadore. Combining Aquileia and Ampezzo in a single trip of three or four days allows you to traverse the region’s entire cross-section — from the lagoon to the Carnic Alps — encountering radically different environments, food traditions and historical layers. For further reading on Aquileia’s historical and archaeological context, the official website of the Municipality and the dedicated Wikipedia page are both recommended, as they are updated with information on opening hours, events and ongoing excavation campaigns.