Sky Arte Documentary Explores Aquileia's Millennia-Long History

A new documentary titled 'Le tre vite di Aquileia' airs on Sky Arte on Friday, November 22, exploring the layered history of Aquileia, a small Italian town with over 2,000 years of continuous habitation. Once the fourth-largest city of the Roman Empire, Aquileia served as a military outpost against northeastern peoples and a thriving Adriatic port. It was an early Christian center, with bishops building paleochristian basilicas that now house medieval sculptures, frescoes, and mosaics. Over centuries, Aquileia was annexed by the Republic of Venice, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, returning to Italy in the 20th century as the first city recaptured during World War I. During the war, it became a symbol of Italy's reconquest, and from its basilica, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier departed for the Vittoriano in Rome. Today, the town coexists with its archaeological heritage, featuring Roman complexes beneath gardens and barns, and entire basilicas discovered under agricultural buildings. The documentary highlights this stratification through images of major discoveries.