by InTrieste
The Easter holiday weekend will bring a series of special openings, events and final opportunities to visit a major exhibition across the historic museum network of Aquileia and the seaside town of Grado, offering both residents and visitors a cultural alternative to traditional spring outings.
At the National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia, attention is focused on the final days of the exhibition “The Gods Return: The Bronzes of San Casciano,” which is scheduled to close on April 12. The show, centered on the extraordinary discoveries from the Tuscan sanctuary of San Casciano dei Bagni, has drawn sustained interest in recent months and enters its penultimate weekend during the Easter period.
Programming begins on Thursday, April 2, with the presentation of Apollo, Politeisms Compared, a scholarly volume edited by Emanuela Murgia of the University of Trieste. The book compiles proceedings from the seventh Seminar on the Archaeology of the Sacred, held in Trieste in 2022, and examines the figure of Apollo across ancient polytheistic traditions. The event, introduced by historian Monica Chiabà, reflects the exhibition’s broader themes, where Apollo appears alongside other deities such as Fortuna Primigenia, Asclepius and Hygieia within the context of thermal sanctuaries.
The museum will remain open throughout the holiday weekend, with free admission on Easter Sunday as part of Italy’s monthly #domenicalmuseo initiative. Extended hours are planned for Easter Monday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., anticipating increased visitor numbers. A seasonal initiative will also return, offering visitors the chance to win an annual museum pass through a holiday drawing.
Additional openings will extend to the Early Christian Museum of Aquileia, located in the Borgo Monastero area. Typically accessible on limited days, the site will be open on both Good Friday and Holy Saturday, allowing visitors to explore the remains of one of the city’s earliest Christian basilicas. Admission remains free.
Further along the coast, the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Upper Adriatic in Grado will also observe an expanded schedule. Overlooking the Nazario Sauro waterfront, the recently inaugurated museum will remain open from Friday through Easter Sunday and, unusually, on Easter Monday — a day traditionally reserved in Italy for day trips known as Pasquetta. Hours are set from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free entry on Sunday in line with the national initiative.
Together, the coordinated openings highlight the region’s effort to position cultural institutions at the center of holiday tourism, blending scholarship, accessibility and seasonal travel patterns in one of northeastern Italy’s most historically layered landscapes.
