La campagna di telerivamento nell’ambito del Progetto Via Annia: riflessioni, bilanci e prospettive

The ‘Via Annia Project’ was implemented by Local Government Bodies, the University of Padova and Heritage Departments of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia operating in synergy with the aim of the recovery and appreciation of the Via Annia. The road was built around the middle of the 2nd century BC and ran probably from Adria to Aquileia. For many centuries most of its traces were lost and the route was largely erased from the maps. Archaeological excavations, geomorphological surveys and a number of remote sensing investigations were carried out between 2007 and 2011 in order to increase the scientific knowledge. Museum exhibitions, road signs, tourist guides have made it more familiar to the general audience, providing a symbolic reconstruction. Remote sensing involved the analysis of aerial photographs, multispectral orthophotos and high-resolution satellite images, as well as the acquisition of about 30,000 oblique aerial panchromatic photographs during 100 hours of flight along three years of research. This resulted in the GIS mapping of about 2000 lines and polygons of archaeological interest. Cropmarks provided excellent ‘archaeological visibility’. Some relevant features were ground-validated through coring, archaeological excavations and, in the outstanding site of Altinum, geophysical prospection.