View of theplaine aostoise and theMonte EmiliusArches of the Roman Theatre.Porta Prætoria.
Aosta was settled in proto-historic times and later became a centre of theSalassi, many of whom were killed or sold into slavery by theRomans in 25 BC.[6] The campaign was led byTerentius Varro, who then founded theRoman colony ofAugusta Praetoria Salassorum, housing 3,000 retiredveterans. After 11 BC Aosta became the capital of theAlpes Graies province of theEmpire. Its position at the confluence of two rivers, at the end of theGreat and theLittle St Bernard Pass, gave it considerable military importance, and its layout was that of a Roman military camp.
The privilege of holding the assembly of thestates-general was granted to the inhabitants in 1189. An executive council was nominated from this body in 1536, and continued to exist until 1802. After theCongress of Vienna restored the rule of Savoy it was reconstituted and formally recognized byCharles Albert of Sardinia, at the birth of his grandsonPrince Amedeo, who was created duke of Aosta.[7]
Thegonfalon of Aosta/Aoste in thesalon ducal of the Hôtel-de-Ville.
The ancient town walls ofAugusta Prætoria Salassorum are still preserved almost in their entirety, enclosing a rectangle 724 by 572 metres (2,375 by 1,877 ft).[9] They are 6.4 metres (21 ft) high, built of concrete faced with small blocks of stone. At the bottom, the walls are nearly 2.75 metres (9.0 ft) thick, and at the top 1.83 metres (6.0 ft).
Towers stand at angles to theenceinte and others are positioned at intervals, with two at each of the four gates, making twenty towers in total. They are roughly 6.5 metres (21 ft) square, and project 4.3 metres (14 ft) from the wall. Of the 20 original towers, the following are well preserved:[10]
Tour du Lépreux (French forLeper's Tower), was given this name after a leper called Pierre-Bernard Guasco who was jailed there in the late 17th century.Le lépreux de la cité d'Aoste, a novel byXavier de Maistre, is also named after this leper.
Tourneuve (13th century).
Tour du Pailleron.
Tower (Castle) of Bramafan, built in the 11th century over a Roman bastion. It was the residence of the Savoy viscounts. InFranco-Provençal,Bramé la fan means "To scream for hunger".
Tour du Baillage.
Tour Fromage.
The south and eastgates exist intact. The latter, a double gate with three arches flanked by two towers known as the Porta Praetoria (1st century AD) was the eastern gate to the city, and has preserved its original form apart from the marble covering.[11] It is formed by two series of arches enclosing a small square.
The rectangular arrangement of thestreets is modeled on a Roman plan dividing the town into 64 blocks (insulae). The main road, about 10 metres (33 ft) wide, divides the city into two equal halves, running from east to west. This arrangement makes it clear that guarding the road was the main raison d'être of the city.
TheRoman theatre, of which the southern façade remains today, is 22 metres (72 ft) tall.[12][13] The structure, dating from the late reign ofAugustus, occupied an area of 81 by 64 metres (266 by 210 ft); it could contain up to 4,000 spectators. In the nearby was the amphitheatre, built underClaudius. A marketplace surrounded by storehouses on three sides with atemple in the centre with two on the open (south) side, as well as athermae, have also been discovered.
Outside the town walls is theArch of Augustus, atriumphal arch in honour ofAugustus, built in 35 BC to celebrate the victory of consul Varro Murena over the Salassi.[14] About 8 kilometres (5 miles) to the west is a single-archedRoman bridge, called thePont d'Aël. It has a closed passage, lighted by windows for foot passengers in winter, and above it an open footpath.
There are considerable remains of the ancient road fromEporedia (modernIvrea) to Augusta Praetoria into theAosta Valley. The modernrailway follows this route, notable for thePont Saint-Martin, which has a single arch with a span of 35 metres (115 ft) and a roadway 4.5 metres (15 ft) wide; the cutting ofDonnas; and the Roman bridges of Cillian (Saint-Vincent) and Aosta (Pont de Pierre).
The main bus hub is located near the Aosta train station. Buses connect the city of Aosta to the nearby valleys and to destinations outside the region, includingTurin,Milan,Chamonix (France) andMartigny (Switzerland).[19]
Aosta airport is located 5 km to the east of the city.
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