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Aquileia Photo By Janusz Rec艂aw

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Aquileia

Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy. Nowadays the city is small with approximately 3,500 inhabitants but it was large and prominent in classical antiquity as one of the world’s largest cities with a population of 100,000 in the 2nd century AD. Aquileia is one of the main archaeological sites in northern Italy.

It was founded as a colony by the Romans in the back 180/181 BC  along the Natiso River on land south of the Julian Alps. The colony would serve as the citadel to check the advance into Cisalpine Gaul of other warlike peoples, such as the hostile Carni to the northeast in what is now Carnia and Histri tribes to the southeast in what is known Istria. 

1. Get to Visit Basilica

Basilica di Aquileia Photo By Zavijavah

When you visit Aquileia there is quite a lot to see and Basilica is one of the amazing things to come across. It is the highlight of the town. The Basilica is an old big building still surviving which was built by Bishop Theodora for Aquileia鈥檚 early Christian. The building is still used for religious purposes to date.

The building has beautiful and unique features such as glass walkways running each side of the nave to enable visitors to view the decoration of the building with no damage, it also has a huge fourth-century mosaic floor, and its interior is tall with columns running toward the frescoed apse.

2. Roman River Port

The biggest part of Roman River Port is uncovered and this makes it easier for tourists to access and enjoy the quietness nowadays with the bustle that must have filled the area a long time ago. The Roman river has helped in good transporting in Aquileia, leading to the growth of the town economically.

3. Museum of Early Christianity  

The Museum of Early Christianity is located in the north part of Aquileia and was built over the remains of a basilica. The Museum is a must-see when you visit any part of Italy most especially Aquileia. The museum, Museo paleo Cristiano, is open only in the morning hence is advisable to be there early in the morning if you are interested to tour the museum. The museum has free admission which is one of the interesting facts, people get to learn and visit the museum with no charges giving rooms to all social classes, high, middle and low to be able to visit.

4. Climbing the Bell Tower

Bell tower in Aquileia Photo By No machine

The bell tower is about 70 metres plus and people get to climb it when they visit Aquileia. The bell tower is one of the tourist attractions in the city. I recommend anybody who visits not to miss the experience as it is fun and you get to enjoy the amazing view of the entire city and the surrounding.

However, visits to the bell tower are restricted and allowed at certain times of the year, hence it is good to learn and get to know when to visit to enjoy the experience. According to my research, the tower is usually open  between April and September.

5. Access to Aquileia Baptistery and Sudhalle

The admission ticket to the Aquileia gives you access to the Aquileia Baptistery and Sudhalle. Here you get to enjoy and admire the baptismal font used for immersion baptisms. You get to admire and view the southern hall as well known as the Sudhalle. There are other interesting things to admire in the area such as the mosaic floor which has history and the precious 鈥減eacock鈥� which mosaic used to decorate the apse of the narthex.

6. Helped in the Spread of Catholic Faith

Aquileia played a key role in the evangelization of central Europe by helping in spreading the catholic faith to regions. The catholic faith is still the dominant faith to date. Most of the important and famous buildings in the city are religious ones such as the Aquileia Basilica.

7. Did you Know that Aquileia Survived as a Major Urban Centre?

Aquileia was once one of the largest and wealthiest Roman cities in history.  Though it might be hard to believe when looking at it today but that is one of the interesting facts. It played a large part in its rise to power. Aquileia was founded in 181BC and survived as a major urban centre until 452AD when it was destroyed by Attila the Hun. During this time, it prospered with an estimated population of up to 200,000 people.

8. Did you Know that Aquileia was a Roman Colony?

Roman Ruins Photo By No machine

Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy. It was founded as a colony by the Romans in 180/181 Bc along the Natiso River on land south of the Julian Alps. The colony served as a strategic frontier fortress at the northeast corner of transpadane Italy and was intended to protect the Veneti.

The Roman colony served as a citadel to check the advance into Cisalpine Gaul of other warlike peoples, such as hostile Carni to the northeast in what is now Carnia and Histri tribes to the southeast in what is now Istria.

9. Get to Try Specialities of Aquileia

One of the interesting facts about Aquileia is they have Specialities dishes a must try when you visit. Aquileia’s typical dishes have roots in the broader Friulian food and wine culture. The special dishes are influenced first by the ancient Romans and the Habsburg Empire.

Some specialties delicacy worth trying include

• Herring with vegetables this one is worth tasting and is served with warm polenta.
• Scallops au gratin this delicacy is eaten one after the other but for vegetarians, I recommend you try potatoes in tea topped with plenty of onion and bacon.

10. The Crypt of the Excavations

If you might be wondering what to do when you visit Aquileia city, then you should not miss the Crypt of the Excavations. This is an underground treasure hidden beneath the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. The ruins of ancient storehouses from the 2nd century AD are kept here together with those of a stately Domus from the Augustan period.