Museo Nazionale di Archeologia Subacquea dell'Alto Adriatico

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Upper Adriatic in Grado centres on the Roman merchant ship Iulia Felix, discovered in 1986 in the lagoon seabed. Its wooden hull and cargo of more than 600 amphorae preserve evidence of maritime trade in the early second century CE.

Why it matters

The Iulia Felix sank while travelling from the port of Aquileia with preserved fish products from the Aquileian territory. Its cargo documents connections across the Roman Mediterranean, while the surviving wooden hull is an uncommon example of an ancient vessel preserved from the seabed. The state museum opened on 19 December 2025 as part of the Musei Nazionali del Friuli Venezia Giulia network.

What to notice

The amphorae are displayed in an arrangement that evokes their stowage in the ship's hold. Fish remains survived in some vessels, and the collection also includes fragments of recycled glass, a bronze statuette of Neptune, a game die, a brazier, fishing hooks and other objects from the wreck. A lead pipe through the hull and a tank behind the mast have been interpreted as a possible live-fish well, suggesting that the vessel may have carried fresh fish alongside preserved products. The wooden hull is mounted on a steel support structure.

Context and history

The wreck was discovered in 1986 in the Grado lagoon area, and recovery of the hull was completed in 1999 after more than a decade of excavation. Conservation followed before the vessel and its cargo became the focus of the museum. The exhibition links the archaeological evidence to the relationship between Grado, the sea and the lagoon, and includes multimedia reconstructions of the ancient coastline and the ship's final voyage.