Roman Ruins
Roman Forum & the Excavated City
Aquileia · Friuli-Venezia Giulia
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Roman Ruins
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Aquileia · Friuli-Venezia Giulia
- DURATION
- 1 day
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
Aquileia’s forum is a field of broken colonnades beside the basilica — the exposed heart of a city whose full extent is still underground. Only about a tenth of Roman Aquileia has been excavated; the rest lies beneath vineyards and ploughed fields, which is exactly why UNESCO listed it: it is the most complete unexcavated early Roman city in the Mediterranean world. Walk the streets between the basilica, the river and the walls and you are walking through the dead city’s street plan, above houses that have not been seen for sixteen centuries.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
Founded in 181 BC as a fortress colony against the Alpine tribes, Aquileia exploded into the capital of northeastern Italy — perhaps 100,000 inhabitants at its peak, a mint, an imperial palace, and the richest market of amber, glass and grain north of the Adriatic. Its walls enclosed some 45 hectares; emperors passed through on the way to the Danube wars. In 452 Attila razed it, and the medieval town that grew back was a tenth the size, huddled around the basilica.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The forum colonnade beside the basilica — the civic centre of the Roman city.
The foundations of Roman houses and workshops along Via Sacra and toward the river.
The segments of the city walls and gates still traceable in the fields.
The whole townscape: the modern village sits directly on the Roman street grid.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
Nowhere else in the Mediterranean can you see an entire imperial city lying intact under farmland — Aquileia is archaeology’s future as much as its past, and the visible ruins are just the sample core.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
Roman Forum & the Excavated City
Roman Forum & the Excavated City, Aquileia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
45.7689, 13.3712
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Aquileia
THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Ristorante Ai Gladiatori — the classic, beside the museum: river fish and Friulian classics
Locanda dei Longobardi — family trattoria a few steps from the basilica
Enoteca AliJba — wine bar on the square for aperitivo with Collio glasses
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Village guesthouses and B&Bs around the basilica square
Camping: the municipal camper stop beside the excavations (€10, all year) or the Grado lagoon campsites — Tenuta Primero and Marina Julia — 15 minutes away with direct cycle-path links
ITINERARIES
Day-by-day routes
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
INTERESTS
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PART OF
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