Visit to Roman Aosta

The city of Aosta, founded by the Romans in 25 BC, in the full Augustan age, took the name of Augusta Praetoria.
A small Roman city that soon grew in importance to become the Rome of the Alps, one of the most important crossroads of goods and culture of the time. Its typically orthogonal layout, a practice in Roman times, is still clearly visible and can be visited today.

The Roman Theater
Among the most important monuments recently restored and easily visited, we remember the splendid Roman Theater. The southern facade of the theater, 22 meters high, welcomes tourists leaving them speechless. A theater able to accommodate more than three thousand spectators, proof of the great importance of the city of Augusta Praetoria in Roman times.

The Roman Forum and cryptoporticus
Near the Cathedral of Aosta and more precisely from Piazza Giovanni XXIII you can access the forensic cryptoporticus. This monumental construction delimited a sacred area dedicated to worship. A semi underground construction in the shape of an iron horse with a double corridor. It is believed that the cryptoporticus was used as a military warehouse and granary, while the marble colonnade served as a backdrop for the temples of the sacred area.

The Porta Praetoria
It was the main access to the city of Augusta Praetoria. Equipped with three openings still visible, it had an internal area used as a courtyard of arms. the grooves where the gates ran, while on the outside there are still some marble slabs that completely covered the monuments.

The Arch of August
Along the road that leads to the ancient Porta Pretoriana, stands the Arch of Augustus, an eloquent sign of the Roman military power that in 25 BC. definitively defeated the Salassi.
The arch, in late republican style, is 9 meters wide: flanked by pillars with semi-columns and Corinthian capitals, it is one of the most visited and photographed monuments in Aosta.

For more information, consult the official website of the Aosta Valley Region.