One of the important archeological sites here in Aquileia is the River Port. When I think of a port, I usually associate it with the sea since it is big and it provides access to other places. However, in the case of Aquileia, the city isn’t exactly by the sea. What the city does have is a river. The rivers Natisona and Torre run through the city and empties out to the Adriatic sea. This connection to the sea, allows Aquileia access to other parts of the Roman empire as well as facilitate trade from other places as well. The River Port of Aquileia was instrumental in the development of the city and it helped it grow to be one of the biggest cities in the Roman empire.

The river is still here but looking at it right now, the volume of water has significantly reduced and it is but a shadow of its former self. The river used to be much bigger and certainly big enough to be able to handle significant ship traffic along the river. To unload cargo, port facilities were built here. Like the rest of the sites here in Aquileia, the old river port is also very old and there are only the foundations of the old port facilities that are left here. There is a nice little walk along the old river port which leads back to the basilica. It is worth to complete the visit of Aquileia by paying this historical port a visit.

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