Aquileia-Tergeste Road
This important road artery, described by ancient routes and identified by some scholars with the via Gemina, crossed the area between the Soča and Timavo rivers to head towards Tergeste (Trieste) and toward Pola in Istria.
From Aquileia it passed through the territory of San Canzian d'Isonzo and then in the vicinity of the villa of Staranzano; it joined other roadways near present-day Ronchi dei Legionari where a bridge over 200 meters long crossed an ancient riverbed of the Isonzo. The road then ran at the foot of the southern slope of the Monfalcone hills and continued toward Tergeste after crossing over a stone bridge over the Locavaz River. At the mouth of the Timavo was the Randaccio villa, which served as a rest station for travelers (mansio). Numerous sections of the road have been identified in the course of archaeological research and through the use of aerial photography; the discovery of funerary monuments, usually placed, in Roman times, along the road axes, has contributed to the reconstruction of the ancient road network in the area.
