Roman Adriatic ports and the antiquarian tradition

urope, travellers started to reach the main centres of the Italian peninsula. The coastline of the Adriatic was among the places of main research interest and the presence of Roman ports remains was well attested. These structures not only captured the imagination of Roman writers, but also enabled locals and travellers to perform the first archaeological surveys. This paper offers a more defined picture on the reception of the ancient port ruins during the period of the Grand Tour with the help of understudied antiquarian and iconographic evidence remaining along the Adriatic, with a particular focus on the Roman cities of Trieste, Aquileia, Ravenna, Rimini, Ancona. Antiquarian studies allow us to know more on ancient ports, confirming how the rich potential of these sources may reconcile important academic issues.