Nikyup - A team from the University of Verona's Department of Cultures and Civilizations, led by Diana Dobreva, a professor at the Verona-based university, and Kalin Chakarov, an archaeologist from the Regional Historical Museum of Veliko Tarnovo, has recently concluded its first excavation campaign at the ancient city of Nicopolis ad Istrum, a site known and studied since the last century.

This marks the first international archaeological mission conducted by the University of Verona. Located in north-central Bulgaria, near the modern village of Nikyup in the Veliko Tarnovo region, the city was founded in the early 2nd century AD by Emperor Trajan to commemorate his victory over the Dacians on the Danube. Nicopolis ad Istrum played a strategic role in controlling major routes between the Roman provinces of Thrace and Lower Moesia.

The excavation was carried out under a ministerial concession as part of a collaborative project between the two institutions, aimed at fostering academic and cultural exchange in the field of education. The "Nice Project" excavation was funded by the Veliko Tarnovo Museum's budget and financially supported by the University of Verona, which facilitated the participation of research fellows, doctoral students, and students from Verona. For them, the fieldwork served as a formative internship experience in archaeology.

The investigations took place in a previously unexplored district situated between two main streets, yielding significant new data for the history of the site and the entire city.