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Porta Praetoria, the triple-arched Roman gate of Aosta

History & Heritage

Porta Praetoria & the Arch of Augustus

Aosta · Aosta Valley

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
History & Heritage
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Aosta · Aosta Valley
DURATION
1–2 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

Every Roman town had one great gate; Aosta’s still carries the grooves where the portcullis ran. Porta Praetoria opened the colonia’s decumanus toward the Po valley, its central arch wide enough for carriages, flanked by pedestrian passages. Four hundred metres east, the Arch of Augustus — erected in 25 BC to honour the emperor who founded the city — anchored the triumphal road toward Gaul and still spans the street under its own 15-metre barrel vault, restored with an iron exoskeleton visible like scaffolding of steel ribs.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

The gate-and-arch pair is the ceremonial handshake of the Roman Empire with the Alps — the visible argument for calling Aosta the Rome of the Alps.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Access
Both monuments sit on the eastern edge of the pedestrian centre; on-street and garage parking nearby.

MAP & LOCATION

Porta Praetoria & the Arch of Augustus

Porta Praetoria & the Arch of Augustus, Aosta, Aosta Valley, Italy

45.7391, 7.3167

Open in OpenStreetMap

MORE ATTRACTIONS

More to see in Aosta

The 22-metre southern facade of the Roman theatre of Aosta
History & Heritage

Roman Aosta — the theatre, the walls and the forum

Augusta Praetoria’s Roman theatre still stands 22 metres high at its southern facade, and a single €10 ticket covers the theatre, the cryptoporticus, the San Lorenzo basilica and the archaeological museum.

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The Romanesque cloister of the Collegiate church of Sant’Orso in Aosta
History & Heritage

The Collegiate Church of Sant’Orso & the Cathedral

Twin Romanesque bell towers rise over the city: Sant’Orso’s carved cloister capitals and Ottonian frescoes, and the Cathedral’s mosaic choir above the Roman cryptoporticus.

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Piazza Émile Chanoux, the main square of Aosta
History & Heritage

Piazza Émile Chanoux & the old town

The arcaded main square — the city’s living room since the 18th century — plus the old town’s vaulted porticoes, the Tuesday market and the cafés under the arcades.

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THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

01

Ride the gondola to Pila — skiing in winter, the Alta Balconata in summer

02

Day of the castles — Fénis, Issogne and the Fort of Bard

03

Camp between the passes — camping and camper stops around Aosta

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Da Nando — sixty-year family trattoria by Sant’Orso: Valdostana fondue, friendship coffee in the grolla

02

L’Osteria dell’Oca — three floors of Valdostan classics, snails and carbonada with polenta

03

Le Bar à Vin — fontina fondue in a cocotte and mountain charcuterie near Porta Pretoria

04

Trattoria Praetoria — the centenarian classic: venison ragu, gluten-free Valdostan dishes

05

Pila mountain huts (Yeti, Gran Baita) — polenta concia at 1,800 m with the 4,000ers on the skyline

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

The pedestrian-centre hotels around Piazza Chanoux — Roman ruins at the doorstep

02

Camping International Touring (Sarre) and Lazy Bee (Quart) — riverside pitches minutes from the centre

03

Mountain hotels and huts at Pila — ski-in, hike-out above the city

04

Agriturismi and B&Bs in the side valleys — Cogne, Valgrisenche, the Great St Bernard road

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ITINERARIES

Day-by-day routes

Rome of the Alps and the Great St Bernard — Aosta to the pass — Aosta1 day

Rome of the Alps and the Great St Bernard — Aosta to the pass

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Four-thousanders by gondola — Aosta, Pila and the castle corridor — Aosta2 days

Four-thousanders by gondola — Aosta, Pila and the castle corridor

View itinerary

NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Courmayeur

Courmayeur

Aosta Valley

Cervinia

Cervinia

Aosta Valley

Lake Como

Lake Como

Lombardy

Turin

Turin

Piedmont

INTERESTS

Explore by what you love

History

PART OF

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