The original nucleus of the Archaeological Museum of Aquileia is the eighteenth-century Bertoli collection. The opening of the present venue at villa Cassis by the Austrian government dates back to 1882, whereas the final arrangement occurred after the Second World War.
The finds on display, which date back to the Roman age and all come from local excavations, are really remarkable. Among the most valuable pieces of the collection we would like to point out a Medici Venus, an old man's head of the 1st century B.C. and a rich collection of glassware, amber items, engraved stones and the numismatic collection.
The adjoining garden features the lapidarium, with architectural material, epigraphs, steles, mosaics, funerary areas; a specific section is dedicated to the remains of a Roman boat, found in the Lacus Timavi in Monfalcone.
References:The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.