Just passing by, I decided to stop and have a look.
Good idea – the remains are not too much nor very well recovered, but the cathedral is a real “must see”.
“Santa Maria Assunta” church
This church, dating from the 11th century (with a reconstruction in the 13th), is located in place of an older one from the beginning of Christianism.
Though following a Romanesque-Gothic style, all the floor shows a very well preserved mosaic from the 14th century, that, with its 760 m2 is the largest Paleo-christian mosaic in Europe.
Address: Piazza Capitolo, 1, Aquileia UD
Website: Aquilea
Roman tiles
Located inside “Santa Maria Assunta” cathedral, we may see a very large and well preserved mosaic from the 4th century. Covering all the floor, we may go around it and see in detail in a wooden structure conceived to show as much as possible without stepping in it. The wooden ceiling dates from the 16th century, and the wall are covered with frescoes from several periods.
The entrance is free… at least it was when I visited it.
Address: Piazza Capitolo, 1, Aquileia UD
Website: Basilica
Forum
Excavations are still going on in the area occupied by the forum and some residences.
The unearted elements are not enough to provide a clear idea of the original place. For me, of course, because reading it’s easy to find a detailed description of its size and characteristics!
Address: via Giulia Augusta, 33051
The wolf of Capitolio
The legend of the creation of Rome by Romulus and Remus fed by a she-wolf is illustrated by the church, atop a column.
The statue is a copy of the “official” image, and if I read well, it was erected in 1919.
Old houses and oratory
A small area by the road, seems to have been a residential quarter. It needs much more reconstruction to give a clear idea of the ensemble.
Address: Via Giulia Augusta, 33051 Aquileia UD
Mausoleum Candia
Isolated from the other remains this monument is a recent reconstruction (Dec 2010) of a mausoleum from the 1st Century. One simple question: Being a reconstruction, why didn’t they “reconstruct” the statue’s head? No one knew the man’s face? Maybe…
Address: 55 via Giulia Augusta, 33051 Aquileia UD
But mainly… Santa Maria Assunta, remember…
