The Ship of wine

One of the biggest wrecks of the Roman era now known throughout the Mediterranean area, is the ancient ship Oneraria of Albenga. We are in the Gulf of the Ligurian Riviera di Ponente, in front of the most charming old town and best preserved of all the coast, still surrounded by walls, baths and ancient necropolis, in which rising towers, palaces and other fine medieval architecture. But the thing that most of all did we know Albenga is the discovery, at the end of the forties, of the largest cargo ship that has ever found in those waters.

We are in the postwar period and in the nets of the fishermen, who live daily of the sea, coincidentally get entangle remains of amphorae. They are not worthless junk, but fragments of those 728 containers of wine,  subsequently discovered almost intact, dated first century BC, coming from Campania and directed towards Gaul.

The ship could hold it even ten thousand pieces, all carefully waterproofed, sealed and placed in the hold honeycomb so as to ensure the immobility of the load. To give an idea of the economic loss that was the wreck at the time. In addition to plates and cups of black ceramic paint, typical of the area of origin, helmets of bronze and a horn of an animal, whose head was probably used to decorate the bow of the ship with scaramantic function, scientists have found even a handful hazelnut dating back over two thousand years ago, that the sailors did not even have time to eat.

The wonder of this discovery can be understood better if we think that from there it all started, in the underwater world of archeology. "The ship of wine" of Albenga was in fact the first real test of experiments
, technical studies and theories, under the watchful direction of Professor Nino Lamboglia, that marked the birth of a new scientific discipline, to protect the immense heritage preserved underwater. The first real operation of a recovery of this kind ever attempted before. In fact, based on this experience, it was instituted in the Ligurian town the first Sperimental Centre of underwater Archeology.

All the material recovered is now exposed, available to visitors, in the halls of the ancient palace Peloso Cepolla, in front of the impressive Cathedral of Albenga, in the one that became the Roman Naval Museum of the town. And it is here thet you can also read the pages of the diary of the excavation of 1950, on board the ship Artiglio, famous in all the seas of the world, which was the beginning of archeology modern sub. Meanwhile, the wreck of the ship of wine amphoras, over 40 meters long and 10 wide, lying still on the seabed near the island of Gallinara. At 1400 meters distance from the coast and 42 deep, it remains there, waiting for new divers tourists, each year, go to visit during the Week of Cultural Heritage.

Info: For the calendar of guided tours to the wreck, www.archeoge.arti.beniculturali.it
Museo Navale Romano, tel. 018251215, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Input from Tuesday to Sunday

In collaboration with Alessandro Tagliapietra of Argos, Association of Underwater Research of Venice

The Editor