Basilica of Aquileia

The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Aquileia has an early Christian mosaic floor from the 4th century that extends over about 760 m². In the Cripta degli Affreschi beneath the high altar are 12th-century frescoes on the legend of the evangelist Mark, and the Cripta degli Scavi preserves mosaics from the early 4th century. The campanile is about 73 m high. The basilica and the archaeological area have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

Nearby are traces of the Roman city: the forum, discovered in 1934, was the political and administrative centre and dates from the 2nd to 3rd century AD; Aquileia lies where the Cardo and Decumanus Maximus cross. The river port on the former course of the Natisone and Torre is among the best-preserved Roman harbour installations, with quays, mooring rings and warehouses. The National Archaeological Museum is one of the major museums on Roman civilisation, and early Christian finds are shown in the Museo Paleocristiano, in a former Benedictine convent.

The sights lie close together, and the town centre extends only about a kilometre around the basilica. Aquileia has no railway station; the nearest is Cervignano, about 8 km away. Allow half a day for the basilica and the excavations.