The Forum of Aquileia will have quite a story to tell on Saturday, June 14, during the European Archaeology Days, when visitors to the UNESCO site will hear directly from archaeologists about the latest discoveries from recent excavations, and from restorers about the updates on the ongoing work in the eastern section of the monument. This highly anticipated restoration involves the entire complex—one of the most significant attractions of ancient Aquileia—with the goal of restoring the splendor not only of the Forum’s architecture but also of the countless stone fragments scattered across the Roman square.

"After nearly ninety years, this is the first time a systematic intervention of this kind is being carried out, and that speaks to the delicacy and commitment it requires," said Roberto Corciulo, President of the Aquileia Foundation, which undertook the project under the scientific direction of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
But that’s not all. The restoration of the Forum is just the first step in an even more ambitious project involving the major monuments of the Roman city, from the River Port to the Decumanus of Aratria Gallia. Alongside the restoration, a “connecting path nearly one kilometer long between the archaeological areas, from the Port to the Sepulchral Area,” is also being created, Corciulo continues, “which will allow visitors to truly grasp the scale of the ancient city center.” 


The columns of the Forum of Aquileia | Photo: © Gianluca Baronchelli

To build the Forum square—originally covering nearly 8,000 square meters—no fewer than 60,000 bricks were needed, along with 1,500 meters of Aurisina limestone for the slabs of its distinctive pavement and another 800 meters for the foundation layer. These details were revealed through archaeological investigations carried out on-site during the restoration by Eleonora Carminati and Alessandro Ruiz.

Special attention, report Cristiano Tiussi, Director of the Aquileia Foundation, and Serena Di Tonto, archaeologist with the Superintendency, was given to the shops located behind the colonnade. In addition to documenting their perfectly modular layout, researchers analyzed the area's stratification over time, from the pre-Roman period to the early Middle Ages—"before it was overtaken by marshy waters and even the memory of the ancient city’s heart was lost for many centuries," reveal Tiussi and Di Tonto, offering a preview of the discoveries visitors to Aquileia will be able to explore during the upcoming European Archaeology Days.

Discovered by chance in 1934 during land reclamation works, the Forum of Aquileia was reassembled in 1937 through a bold anastylosis intervention: the columns were re-erected using the materials found during the excavations, and the missing parts were integrated with brickwork. Between the 1960s and 1980s, the houses built over the site were expropriated and demolished to uncover a larger portion of the monument, while partial restoration of the emerging artifacts was carried out.

It was only in 2021 that excavations began in the eastern sector of the Forum, thanks to a pilot project launched by the Aquileia Foundation—entrusted with the area in 2017—and the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Friuli Venezia Giulia.


Aquileia, Roman Forum | Courtesy of Turismo FVG

The current intervention includes the completion of drainage systems to ensure constant drying of the Forum area, which was historically marshy due to rising groundwater, as well as the cleaning and restoration of the paved flooring of the square and portico, the steps, and the columns. All of this is being carried out using methods “that respect the ancient materials and promote the enhancement of the site and its historical significance, including the transformations introduced by 20th-century restorations,” explained architect and superintendent Valentina Minosi.