# Aquileia: 760 square meters of 4th-century mosaic

> The Aquileia basilica floor covers over 760 m², laid between 313 and 320. One €12 ticket covers the mosaics, crypts, baptistery and Domus di Tito Macro.

URL: https://myitalia.it/attractions/aquileia
Last updated: 2026-09-11

Aquileia's basilica floor covers more than 760 square meters, laid between 313 and 320 under Bishop Theodore, and it is the largest Early Christian mosaic in the West.

## More than 760 square meters, laid 313 to 320

The mosaic floor of the basilica exceeds 760 square meters and was laid between 313 and 320 under Bishop Theodore, in what is now called the Theodorian hall. The basilica standing over it was consecrated in 1031 by Patriarch Poppo.

That gap, seven centuries between floor and walls, is the thing to hold in your head once inside. The church is medieval. The floor under your feet is from the early 4th century.

A word on the area figure: the Fondazione Aquileia site did not answer the addresses tried, and the UNESCO page refuses automated reading, so the 760 comes from a secondary source.

## UNESCO since 1998, crypts and a 73-meter tower

Aquileia has been a World Heritage site since 1998 as the Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica. The complex has two crypts, the Crypt of the Frescoes and the Crypt of the Excavations with more Early Christian mosaics, and a bell tower 73 meters high.

The two sources in our records disagree on the frescoed crypt. The ticket office dates it to the 9th century, another record gives the 12th. Neither is repeated here as settled.

## €12 covers the whole complex, bar the tower

One adult ticket at €12 covers the basilica with its 4th-century mosaics, the Crypt of the Frescoes, the north Theodorian hall, the baptistery with the Südhalle, the episcopal domus and palace, and the Domus di Tito Macro. Groups of 15 or more pay €9 each, and secondary school groups go free.

The bell tower is not on that list, and its price is not published anywhere we could read.

## Hours that depend on who you ask

The ticket office publishes three timetables. April to September: Monday to Friday 10 am to 7 pm, Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday noon to 7 pm. March and October: Monday to Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday noon to 6 pm. November to February: weekdays 10 am to 4 pm, Saturday to 5 pm, Sunday noon to 5 pm.

Other sources give a 9 am opening in summer. The one pattern everyone agrees on is the late Sunday start, so a Sunday morning arrival is the one to avoid.

## Palmanova, founded 1593, on the same UNESCO map

Palmanova, founded by the Republic of Venice in 1593, is the only planned town still intact in its nine-pointed star shape, and it has been part of a UNESCO serial site since July 9, 2017.

Friuli holds both ends of the story: the Early Christian floor here, and the Venetian military plan there, more than twelve centuries apart. More at [Palmanova](/attractions/palmanova), [Friuli-Venezia Giulia](/regions/friuli-venezia-giulia) and [UNESCO sites in Friuli-Venezia Giulia](/unesco/in-friuli-venezia-giulia).

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to visit the Aquileia basilica?

€12 for an adult, covering the basilica mosaics, the Crypt of the Frescoes, the Theodorian hall, the baptistery, the episcopal palace and the Domus di Tito Macro. Groups of 15 or more pay €9 each. The bell tower's price is not published.

### How big is the Aquileia mosaic?

More than 760 square meters, laid between 313 and 320 under Bishop Theodore, which makes it the largest Early Christian mosaic in the West. The area figure comes from a secondary source, because the foundation's own site did not respond when checked.

### Is the Aquileia basilica open on Sunday morning?

Not on the ticket office's timetable: Sunday opening is at noon in every season, closing at 7 pm from April to September. Other sources list a 9 am start in summer, so confirm before a Sunday trip.

### When did Aquileia become a UNESCO site?

In 1998, as the Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia. The present basilica was consecrated in 1031 by Patriarch Poppo, above a floor laid between 313 and 320.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquileia e' patrimonio mondiale UNESCO dal 1998 come 'Area archeologica e basilica patriarcale': il pavimento musivo della basilica supera i 760 metri quadrati ed e' il piu' esteso mosaico paleocristiano dell'Occidente, realizzato fra il 313 e il 320 sotto il vescovo Teodoro | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Maria_Assunta_(Aquileia)) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Il biglietto del complesso basilicale di Aquileia con la Domus di Tito Macro costa 12 euro per gli adulti e 9 euro per i gruppi da 15 persone, gratis per le scolaresche; comprende basilica con mosaici del IV secolo, cripta degli affreschi del IX secolo, aula teodoriana nord, battistero e Sudhalle, domus e palazzo episcopale | [Discover Aquileia - gestione visite del complesso basilicale](https://www.discoveraquileia.com/biglietti/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Palmanova, fondata dalla Repubblica di Venezia nel 1593, e' l'unica citta' di fondazione ancora intatta nella forma di stella a nove punte: tre cerchie concentriche, due venete con nove bastioni e nove rivellini piu' una napoleonica di nove lunette; monumento nazionale dal 1960, e' patrimonio UNESCO dal 9 luglio 2017 dentro le 'Opere di difesa veneziane tra XVI e XVII secolo' | [Comune di Palmanova - Visit Palmanova](https://www.visitpalmanova.it/palmanova/); [Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l'UNESCO](https://www.unesco.it/it/unesco-vicino-a-te/siti-patrimonio-mondiale/opere-di-difesa-veneziane-del-xvi-e-xvii-sec-stato-di-terra-stato-di-mare-occidentale-bene-transnazionale-per-litalia-peschiera-bergamo-palmanova/) | high | 2099-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/poi.aquileia.1600.jpg
Author: Moleskine. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basilica_Patriarcale_(Aquileia)_-_Apse_Langhaus.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/attrazioni/aquileia.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/atracciones/aquileia.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/attractions/aquileia.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/aquileia.md