Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Aquileia

The National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia is the most ancient and visited museum complex of the roman archaeological site of Aquileia. The small city is one of the most attractive destinations for cultural tourism in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and has been declared a World Heritage Site since 1998 (UNESCO).

The Museum opened on the 3rd of August 1882 as the "Imperial-Royal State Museum" under the patronage of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, when Aquileia and its region were under the political control of the Austrian Empire. The Museum was estabilished in the neoclassical Villa Cassis Faraone. The historical residence housed the archaeological collections of some illustrious Aquileian families, progressively supplemented by the results of archaeological research conducted from the 19th century to the present.

The current collection display, inaugurated on the 3rd of August 2018, is the result of an extensive reorganization and renovation project, carried out thanks to a ministerial extraordinary financing headed to realize cultural projects of great interest. According to an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach, more responsive to the demands of an increasingly wider and demanding public, visitors can retrace the history of one of the most important cities of Northern Italy in Roman times.

The Museum and its display, previously organized on typological classification of artifacts, have been reconsidered;  throughout a careful selection of materials and objects, the collection is now presented in new originals associations with the aim of offering a more engaging experience of visit. The Roman city of Aquileia and its rich and lively society are the core of the narration and of the museum tour. With its large Mediterranean port, Aquileia has been an important and strategic site of connection between the East and the West, between the Mediterranean area and the Northern and Eastern regions of Europe. In this great Roman city, goods, people, languages, religions and different cultures met and coexisted in a cultural melting pot of great interest.

The collection display of the main building of the Museum is organized in seven thematic sections on three floors: latin and greek inscriptions, marble and limestone sculptures, coloured mosaics of rare beauty and precious artifacts are exhibited, alongside objects of common use pertinent to everyday life.

The gardens and the external galleries house the huge collection of inscriptions and reliefs, and a section where some of the most precious mosaics of the collection are displayed.

Ticket cost: 7.00 €; Reductions: 2.00 €

From the 1st of April 2019, the National Archaeological Museum offers the opportunity to activate a 12-months pass at the cost of € 15.00. The subscription also guarantees a 10% discount on purchases at the museum bookshop and the opportunity to participate to special events throughout the year.

NOTICE: 

After the temporary closure of the Museum to visitors due to Covid-19 pandemia, the National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia is now open with new opening hours and access procedures.

From tuesday 2nd of June and till the end of June, visitors can entry the Museum on tuesday-sunday from 1.30pm to 7.30pm. Ticket office and bookshop close at 7pm.

Only 4/5 visitors will be able to enter every 15 minutes. Therefor reservation is kindly suggested. Visitors can book on line, on our website or by email to bookshopaquileia2019@gmail.com, by phone on tue-sun, from 1pm to 7pm at +39 0431 91016.

For more information, visit the website at www.museoarcheologicoaquileia.beniculturali.it or the social networks accounts (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) or request registration to the Newsletter of the National Archaeological Museum by sending an email to museoarcheoaquileia@beniculturali.it