Venue: Via dei Provveditori 14 Grado (GO)
Website: https://museoarcheologiasubacqueagrado.cultura.gov.it/
On Thursday, 18 December 2025, the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Upper Adriatic will be inaugurated in Grado. This new and significant cultural space overlooking the Lungomare Nazario Sauro is dedicated to the history of the sea, navigation and trade in the Adriatic in ancient times.
The official inauguration will take place on the morning of 18 December in the presence of the authorities (invitation-only event).
In the afternoon, the museum will open to the public free of charge from 2.30 p.m. to 5 p.m., offering citizens and visitors the opportunity to discover this new cultural venue in advance.
From Friday 19 December 2025, the museum will be open to the public on a regular basis.
A treasure re-emerged from the sea: the Iulia Felix
The heart of the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Upper Adriatic is the Iulia Felix, a Roman merchant ship dating back over two thousand years, discovered in 1986 in the depths of the Grado lagoon and recovered together with its precious cargo of amphorae.
The Iulia Felix is an extraordinary testimony to the economic and commercial system of the Upper Adriatic in Roman times and is one of the most important underwater archaeological finds in the area.
The restoration and enhancement project was coordinated by the Directorate-General for Museums of the Ministry of Culture and the Historical Museum and Park of Miramare Castle - Regional Directorate of National Museums of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with a high scientific, historical and cultural value.
A museum between sea, lagoon and identity
The museum is conceived as a place of memory, knowledge and dialogue between past and present, designed to recount the deep bond between Grado, the sea and the lagoon.
The museum tour is enriched by reconstructions, multimedia devices and interactive content, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in:
daily life and trade in the Upper Adriatic in Roman times;
ancient navigation techniques;
the world of underwater archaeology.
Opening hours
From 1 October to 30 April
Friday – Saturday – Sunday
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (last admission at 5:30 p.m.)
From 1 May to 30 September
Tuesday to Sunday
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (last admission at 6:30 p.m.)
Monday: closed
SPECIAL OPENINGS FOR THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD:
1st January 2026 from 11:00 to 18:00 (last admission at 17:30)
6th January 2026 from 11:00 to 18:00 (last admission at 17:30)
Tickets
Full price ticket: £7.00
Reduced price ticket (18–25 years old): £2.00
Free admission: under 18s and categories specified by ministerial regulations
Free admission every first Sunday of the month in accordance with ministerial regulations.
Tickets can be purchased:
on site exclusively with POS
online via the “Musei Italiani” app
The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Upper Adriatic significantly enriches Grado's cultural offering, giving the city a new space dedicated to knowledge, the promotion of its underwater heritage and the narration of its profound maritime and lagoon identity.
Contacts
Email: museoarcheogrado@cultura.gov.it
Telephone
Museum: +39 0431 85783
Management: +39 0431 91035