Museo Archeologico di Udine

Udine's civic Archaeological Museum traces Friuli's past from prehistoric communities through the Roman period and early Middle Ages, using finds assembled by local collectors.

Why it matters

The collection descends from the Museo Friulano, inaugurated in 1866, and reflects the work of antiquarians and civic benefactors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many finds come from sites across Friuli, including Aquileia, Cividale, Zuglio, Gemona and Venzone, connecting regional archaeology with the city museum's history.

What to notice

The collections include glass vessels and lamps from Aquileia, Greek and Roman coins and terracottas from the de Brandis donation, a bronze head of a maenad, an alabaster Serapis and Lombard-period finds from Planis. A large mosaic from the Fondo Ritter and Roman inscriptions in the lapidarium preserve evidence of ancient Aquileia. Material devoted to Luigi Pio Tessitori documents the Friulian scholar's work in India and the history of colonial-era scholarship.

Context and history

Francesco di Toppo's 1883 gift and Augusto de Brandis's 1924 donation formed two of the museum's principal collections, alongside material gathered by families including the Gropplero of Moruzzo and the counts of Prampero Peretti. A 2013 reinstallation grouped these collections thematically. The museum also maintains a research role through archaeological work at sites such as Nogaredo al Torre and studies of fortified settlements in Friuli.