• Culture

    ROMAN TIMES

    five centuries of history

In the first century BC, after defeating the local population, the Romans began to colonize this territory: They connected the Alpine passes with the Via delle Gallie road and founded the city of Augusta Praetoria (Aosta). Thus began the five centuries of Roman domination which left monuments and great engineering works in the Aosta Valley.

NOT TO BE MISSED

ROMAN CRYPTOPORTICUS

The cryptoporticus of Aosta was part of the complex of the Roman Forum and is a fascinating underground gallery supported by powerful arches.

ROMAN THEATRE

The imposing 22-meter-high southern facade dominates the Roman theatre in Aosta (stages 18 and 19), which housed over three thousand spectators.

ARCH OVER THE ROMAN ROAD

In Donnas (stages 3 and 23), the stretch of paved road is dominated by an arch cut into the rock, with carefully built archivolts.

AQUEDUCT-BRIDGE OF PONT D'AEL

The original aqueduct-bridge of Pont d'Ael, along stage 17, is 52 meters high and crosses over the Grand-Eyvia stream with a single arch.

BRIDGE OF PONT-SAINT-MARTIN

One of the best-preserved bridges in the Roman world; it is the largest single-span bridge.

Porta Praetoria

It was the main entrance to the ancient Roman town, Augusta Praetoria, today's Aosta.

Roman monuments along the trail

Roman architecture
Roman architecture

Thermal baths

Aosta

Situated in via Chabloz, inside the middle school of Piazza San Francesco, to the north of the Town Hall. The building dates back to the 1st century A.D. Some heated rooms have been identified, while the “frigidarium” has not been located. The site is …

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Roman architecture
Pailleron tower

The Towers

Aosta

There were two towers for each doorway, four corners plus another eight: twenty in total. Given their number, their strong protrusion towards the exterior and the emphasis given by the double series of arched windows positioned on all four sides, we must …

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Roman architecture
Pont d'Ael

The Roman aqueduct-bridge of Pont d'Ael

Aymavilles

Buy your tickets on-lineIn proximity of the Pont d’Ael hamlet, on the right side of the road leading up to Cogne from Aymavilles, an aqueduct-bridge in masonry and stone blocks built above the Grand-Eyvia stream gives evidence of the magnificence of the …

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Roman architecture
Roman bridge

Roman Bridge

Châtillon

The Roman bridge that sits above the Marmore river used to rest on the rocky banks of the river and had a single round arch with a span of approximately 15 metres. Built with square blocks of local stone, on the surface of which, the small cavities for …

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Roman architecture
The Roman road

The Roman road to the Gauls and its arch

Donnas

The Gauls consular road, built by the Romans to link Rome to the Rodano Valley, has one of its most characteristic points in the Donnas section, which is dug into the live rock over a length of 221 metres. The dimensions of the excavation are …

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Roman architecture
Roman Bridge

Roman Bridge

Pont-Saint-Martin

An impressive testimony of the Romanization of Valle d’Aosta. Its date is uncertain: according to some it is said to have been built around 120 B.C. while others attribute it to 25 B.C. The bridge It is anchored to the live rock on both sides, 25 …

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Roman architecture
Arches over the Cillian river

Ruins of the Roman bridge

Saint-Vincent

The imposing ruins that are visible along the state road leading to Montjovet, give some hint of the ancient majesty of the bridge and recall how the Gallie consular road also crossed this part of the valley. Only the left hand shoulder of the original …

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