In Altino the heart of the buried Roman city re-emerges

The results, already from the first 602 square meters of excavation, reveal a complex, dynamic city that has profoundly transformed over time. In the southern sector of the forum, traces of the shops that opened onto the public square emerged, together with a road axis that separated the basilica – a building symbol of civil and judicial life – from the rest of the monumental complex. An urban structure that confirms the political and economic centrality of Altino in Roman times.

One of the most significant discoveries concerns an urban stretch of the Via Annia, brought to light in an exceptional state of conservation. The consular road, a fundamental artery built in the 2nd century BC, connected Padua to Aquileia crossing Altino and established its role as a strategic hub in trade and travel in the north-eastern area of ​​the Empire. Next to the consular road, another excavation confirmed a hypothesis formulated almost twenty years ago thanks to geophysical prospecting: the existence of the larger of the two city theatres. Sections of the cavea walls have been identified, elements that now open up new research perspectives on one of the most representative buildings of Roman public life.

The investigations, extended over a total area of ​​26 hectares acquired by the Ministry of Culture, also allow us to understand the transformations following the phase of maximum splendor of the city. In fact, the evidence shows a long process of spoliation and reuse of materials, typical of the late antique and early medieval phases, which progressively modified the urban face of the ancient settlement. According to scholars, this phenomenon explains the singular conservation of the Via Annia, which remained in use for longer than the surrounding buildings thanks to its logistical function in the transport of building materials.

“Altino returns to tell its story thanks to archaeological research – declares the general director of Museums Massimo Osanna – The results of this excavation campaign inaugurate a new season of studies on one of the most important archaeological sites of ancient Veneto. The support of the General Directorate of Museums for research in national archaeological parks stems from the belief that knowledge represents the first tool for the protection and valorisation of heritage. Sharing these results with the public means making places of culture increasingly participatory and aware, capable of generating new growth opportunities for the territories and to strengthen the national museum system”.

“This excavation campaign represents the point of arrival of the long work of land acquisition, following the revealing surveys of almost twenty years ago, and the starting point for the future planning of archaeological research on the Altino site, with the commitment of the Park as a center of propulsion and coordination of the studies – explains Marianna Bressan, director of the National Archaeological Museums of Venice and the Lagoon – The intervention affected the center of the ancient city, characterized by the presence of significant public monumental complexes. Despite the excavation area is extremely small compared to the extension of the monuments, the data that has emerged already offers important elements for interpreting the history of the city until its abandonment. From the methodological point of view, the results of the excavation provide a scientific validation to non-invasive investigations, opening up the prospect of arriving at more refined interpretations through mutual integration.“

“The excavations have shown that Roman buildings were the subject of surgical plundering in late ancient and early medieval times – continues Bressan – because the construction elements were recovered and reused elsewhere. It is significant that the only preserved artefact is the Via Annia: the road, well built and long-distance, was functional for the transfer of building materials and therefore was preserved for as long as possible”.

“The collaboration between the Municipality of Quarto d’Altino and the archaeological park is now consolidated – comments the mayor of Quarto d’Altino, Claudio Grosso – and was recently sanctioned by a valorization agreement. The excavations are also a fundamental opportunity for the territory, because, together with the network of cycle paths created by the Municipality (memory route and cycle paths on the Siloncello) which “envelop” and “embrace” the Area Archaeological together with the ongoing renovation of the civic centre, they contribute to “remembering” our origins, to strengthening the sense of belonging and to relaunching Altino as a tourist centre, with benefits induced on the entire municipal territory”.