Civic Archaeological Museum “Iulium Carnicum”, Zuglio

The Civic Archaeological Museum Iulium Carnicum is housed in the 17th-century Palazzo Tommasi Leschiutta, in the center of the Municipality, just a few steps from the remains of the Roman Forum.The exhibition spans three floors and reconstructs the various settlement phases of the Carnic territory and Zuglio from prehistory to the Renaissance era.The ground floor is dedicated to Carnia and, in this regard, room 1, rearranged in 2004 thanks to the project “I Celts in Friuli: archaeology, history, and territory,” and dedicated to prehistory and protohistory, is of considerable interest. It features the reconstruction of a section of the Misincinis Necropolis of Paularo (8th-4th century BC) with bronze, iron, glass, and amber grave goods, as well as various attestations of the presence of the ancient Veneti and Celts.The first floor illustrates the various findings made in Zuglio in the area of the Forum, the Baths, and private houses. Noteworthy are the Pompeian frescoes that decorated the frigidarium room of the thermal complex, as well as the furnishings of some domus.

The top floor is finally dedicated to the commercial and religious life of the Roman city with a glimpse at the Church of San Pietro, of which the furnishings of an early basilica dating from the 6th to the 9th century AD are preserved.Excavation campaigns started in the early 1800s continue today thanks to the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Friuli Venezia Giulia, committed together with the Municipality in a vast plan to enhance the archaeological site. The latest investigations carried out in June 2011 allowed exploration near the Forum of other Roman-era structures, rediscovering among other things the triclinium of a domus first identified by Giovanni Gortani at the end of the 1800s, featuring a mosaic floor with black and white geometric tiles. The structures are undergoing enhancement.The Museum is part of CarniaMusei, the museum network of Carnia, and the Museum Network of the province of Udine.

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