Aquileia: History, Art & Archaeology

Aquileia: History, Art & Archaeology is written by three Italian scholars (Annalisa Giovannini, Paola Ventura, and Marzia Vidulli Torlo) and published by Bruno Fachin Editore. It is available in four languages: Italian, English, French, and German.

The main text is divided into four chapters. Here is a brief overview:

Chapter I – “Roman Aquileia” - covers all the ancient monuments in the town, including the forum, the river port, and the grand mausoleum.

Chapter II – “Museo Archaeologico” - presents the Archaeological Museum and the Lapidary Galleries. The museum was founded in 1882; construction of the lapidary galleries began in 1898 and was completed in the 1950s, when some store rooms were added.

Chapter III – “Late Antiquity and Christian Aquileia” - covers the basilica complex and the famous mosaics discovered there, i.e. the cathedral, the crypt of frescoes, the crypt of excavations, the baptistery, the south hall, and the bell tower.

Chapter IV – “Museo Paleocristiano” - presents the Early Christian Museum, where more mosaics are on display. This museum was opened in 1961.

Before chapter I there is an ideal reconstruction of Aquileia in the fourth century AD made with modern 3-D technologies. This picture shows eight ancient monuments and the Natiso Cum Turro River which passes the ancient town on the eastern and southern side (pp. 10-11)

After chapter IV there is a section with some practical information: how to get to Aquileia, where to eat and sleep (restaurants and hotels), a glossary of technical terms, and a brief bibliography (pp. 122-128).

Inside the front cover there is a flap. When you open the flap, you will find a map of Aquileia, which shows the modern town and the ancient monuments.

Please note: not all ancient monuments are visible today, for instance the monuments built for entertainment: the amphitheatre (southwest), the circus or hippodrome (northwest), and the theatre (which is located between them).

Inside the back cover there is another flap. When you open the flap, you will find a map of the region known as Friuli Venezia Giulia with Aquileia clearly marked and with brief notes about other towns and interesting sites in the region, such as Grado (south of Aquileia), Pordenone (west of Aquileia), and Trieste (east of Aquileia).

I like this book. It covers the historical background and presents the ancient monuments one by one. The text is illustrated by excellent photos and helpful maps. All illustrations are in colour - except for a few old photos, which are in black-and-white.

In antiquity Aquileia was a large city, in part because it had an important harbour, but in AD 452 Attila the Hun and his army conquered and sacked the city after a siege which lasted three years. Today Aquileia is a small town; not as well-known, and not as famous as Ravenna, which is also an important location for ancient mosaics. But Aquileia is definitely worth a visit, and this book is a good introduction - and a good guide - to the ancient monuments you can see there.

Some visitors spend only one day in Aquileia. In my opinion this is not enough. I recommend 3-4 days. If you have one more day to spend, I recommend a day trip to Grado – a charming seaside resort ca. 10 km to the south.

Perhaps you wish to focus on the mosaics. In that case I can suggest a small but excellent book: Aquileia Mosaici written by Marzia Vidulli Torlo and also published by Bruno Fachin Editore. The title is in Italian, but the text is printed in four languages: Italian, German, English, and French.

If you think it is difficult to get to Aquileia, think again. It is quite easy:

From Udine you can take a bus (which continues to Grado on the coast). There are many connections every day on weekdays (from Monday to Friday) and some connections during the weekend.

From Venezia Mestre you can take a train towards Trieste. Get off at Cervignano train station and from there take a bus to Aquileia.

Once you are there, you will find that the town is so small that you can walk to every destination in a short time.

Some visitors use bicycles, which can be a good idea, because the landscape is flat, and there are separate bicycle lanes along several roads. You can rent a bicycle at the tourist office, which is located on Via Giulia Augusta - next to the car park by Via della Stazione.

Aquileia: History, Art & Archaeology is a great work. You can read it in your home as an armchair traveller. You can use it as a guidebook. If you are interested in ancient history, in particular the Roman Empire, I am sure you will enjoy this book.

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Annalisa Giovannini, Paola Ventura, and Marzia Vidulli Torlo,

Aquileia: History, Art & Archaeology,

Bruno Fachin Editore, 2012, 128 pages

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