Museo Nazionale Paleocristiano

Gorgeous and very impressive. The location is perfect as well as well taken care of. Unbelievable that admission is free. An unmissable stop on the archaeological walk in Aquileia.

It is a decidedly unique museum that contains finds that illustrate the history of Christianity from the 4th century up to the patriarchal period. The location obtained from an early Christian church then transformed into a monastery is very beautiful. Unfortunately the possibility of having guides and audio guides to appreciate the value and history of archaeological material is lacking. A visit not to be missed.

Only the location of the museum is worth the visit: it is an early Christian basilica, then transformed into a Benedictine monastery, then, incredibly, into an agricultural environment and finally into an early Christian museum with free admission (just as incredible !!). The exhibits contained here are of extraordinary interest and value: in addition to the splendid detached mosaics and the floor carpet still in place, the stone collection of the mezzanine floor is very particular, with a large section of funerary inscriptions, each with its own translation into Italian. . The real and big flaw is the lack of audio guides and / or guided tours! A public museum cannot think of making up for it with posters: the average visitor does not read pages of stuff (that I can do that I have a degree in art history), but ends up wandering bewildered among finds from various eras, coming out with the eyes swollen with wonder, but with a great doubt about what he saw! A site with this history needs to be better explained, in order to be better appreciated! I read reviews from more than a year ago in which the same problem was mentioned, but nothing, to date - September 10, 2021 - seems to have changed. A visit in here, with the right tools (an audio guide, an interactive tablet, an employee explaining the museum instead of just welcoming and surveillance), can last more than an hour for an average user. As things are, a tourist enters and exits in 15 minutes! And it is really a shame, because places like these must be valued!