More than 2,000 years ago, the Romans saw the possibilities for the site of Aquileia, in northeastern Italy. They founded a colony in 181 BC that burgeoned into a thriving commercial, cultural, and military centre. Its strategic position on the trade route between northern and southern Europe earned it the name Second Rome.

After being levelled in AD 452 by Attila, Aquileia was rebuilt and came under the patronage of an important Christian patriarch in the 6th century. The region was invaded by the Venetians in the early 1400s and later fell under Austrian control from the 16th century until 1918, when it was finally returned to Italy.

A renowned archaeological museum and an 11th-century Romanesque basilica with well-preserved mosaic floors and frescoes are reminders of the former glory of Aquileia.

The village’s proximity to the Gulf of Venice, at the head of the Adriatic Sea, makes fishing an integral part of its economy. Aquileia is linked by a causeway to the island of Grado, a port and bathing resort.