In Aquileia, a city that has seen sea and land paths cross for over two thousand years, two conferences shine a spotlight on highly topical issues, from “sustainable” paths to the open challenges that the small pearl of Friuli, a UNESCO heritage site, is facing. Scheduled for December 5 and 6, 2024, the two events, which will be held with free admission in the spaces of Cantina Ca' Tullio, will celebrate the 26 years of Aquileia as a UNESCO site and the 90 years since the opening of the archaeological area of ​​the river port and the "Via Sacra".

The promoters of the two days are the Aquileia Foundation in collaboration with the Municipality of Aquileia, the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for FVG, the Regional Directorate of Museums FVG - Archaeological Museum of Aquileia, the Basilica of Aquileia and PromoTurismoFVG.
On Thursday 5 December the conference "Aquileia sustainable destination" will see institutions, professionals and operators of the tourism-cultural sector meet alongside journalists, publishers and walkers. Among the initiatives there will be a new Festival dedicated to the itineraries and routes that intertwine in Aquileia. But there will also be talk of the projects in progress for GO! 2025 - Nova Gorica - Gorizia European capital of culture 2025 - and concrete examples of entrepreneurial creativity applied to cultural valorization will be provided.



Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society, climatologist and journalist, guest of the day, will also discuss the impact of climate change on archaeological and cultural heritage. If Sara Zanni, archaeologist and advisor to the Minister of Tourism for paths and tourist routes, will moderate the meeting entitled "Zero-impact travel: paths as a driver of conscious development", Andrea Bellavite, journalist and director of the Basilica of Aquileia, will join her to moderate the meeting entitled "Aquileia, land of paths: experiences and projects for 2025".

The third session of the day of December 5 will focus on the challenge of GO! 2025 through cross-border collaborations, while, during the meeting, cultural heritage and climate change will also be discussed. An in-depth analysis will be dedicated to the fund for small GO! projects. 2025 - Small Projects Fund as a vehicle for innovation and change, which has facilitated the implementation of transnational cultural initiatives.

The funded projects, while having a local impact, contribute to strengthening the bond between Italy and Slovenia and, above all, collaboration between people. The first day of the conference will conclude with the presentation of the book "Adriatico. Mare d'inverno", an editorial, cultural and territorial project that goes up the long Adriatic ridge through a narrative made of stories and specific destinations.


The columns of the Forum of Aquileia | © Fondazione Aquileia


Some sessions of the conference “Aquileia, a sustainable destination” are included in the continuing professional training program of the Order of Journalists.

On Friday 6 December, navigation in antiquity will be discussed with the conference “Ports, landing places and ancient routes. Communication routes and valorization of the material and immaterial heritage in the Mediterranean”, organized by the Aquileia Foundation and the Phoenicians’ Route – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2003, in collaboration with the Santagata Foundation for the Economy of Culture. The event promotes a reflection on the theme of ancient navigation and is organized on the occasion of the ninetieth anniversary of the opening of the archaeological area of ​​the river port of Aquileia and on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the International Association of the Phoenicians’ Route, the body managing the Route of the same name recognized by the Council of Europe.
Ports have always been great gateways to new cultures, from which radiated that dense network of trade that affected the entire Mediterranean. The sea and river routes made possible the occupation and development of new territories, the integration and exchange between peoples and ideas, still representing an important factor of civilization.


Via Sacra at the river port, archaeological area of ​​Aquileia. Photo by © Gianluca Baronchelli


If the first part of the meeting will delve into the theme of the port system of Aquileia in antiquity, as well as the theme of ancient navigation in the Adriatic, examining the results of the latest investigations in progress and the prospects for valorization, the participants will reflect on how the theme of "know-how", of the sea, of the ancient techniques of naval carpentry, born in the Phoenician era and still used in many locations in the Mediterranean, can represent a tool for intercultural dialogue between the communities involved.
The second part of the conference will instead focus on ancient navigation, cultural interactions and trade in the rest of the Mediterranean basin, starting from the Phoenician-Punic era, passing through the Greek age up to the Roman period. Some examples of excellence in the field of the exhibition of underwater archaeological heritage, in Italy, Spain and Cyprus, will be reviewed.