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The Roman theatre of Aosta under the Graian Alps

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

STARTING FROM · Aosta · 1 day

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QUICK INFORMATION

DURATION
1 day
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Aosta · Aosta Valley
CATEGORY
History & Heritage

ABOUT THIS ITINERARY

The classic valley day: Roman Aosta in the morning, the Great St Bernard pass road — the Via Francigena’s Alpine gateway — in the afternoon, with castles, reservoirs and 95-pitch camping along the way.

OVERVIEW

The route at a glance

A single day threading the valley’s two thousand years: the Roman grid, the castle corridor, the Roman road cut into rock at Donnas, and the climb to the Great St Bernard pass and its monastery hospice at 2,469 m on the Swiss border.

THE SCHEDULE

Day by day

Day 1

Aosta → Etroubles → Great St Bernard Pass

  1. 09:00

    Roman Aosta

    2h

    The combined-ticket circuit: theatre, cryptoporticus, Porta Praetoria and the Arch of Augustus.

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  2. 11:30

    Sant’Orso & the Cathedral

    1h

    The Romanesque cloister capitals and the twin painted towers of the medieval city.

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  3. 13:00

    SS27 north — Etroubles

    45m

    The Great St Bernard road climbs through stone villages; the Tunnel International campsite sits at 1,280 m.

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  4. 14:30

    Great St Bernard Pass

    2h

    The 2,469 m pass, the monastery hospice, the museum and the St Bernard dogs; the lake below reflects the ridge.

THE ROUTE ON THE MAP

Stops on the map

ATTRACTIONS ON THIS ROUTE

Sights on the way

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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Porta Praetoria, the triple-arched Roman gate of Aosta
History & Heritage

Porta Praetoria & the Arch of Augustus

The monumental eastern gate of 25 BC — three arches still bearing the grooves of its lowered portcullis — and the honorific Arch of Augustus that anchored the road to Gaul.

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MORE ITINERARIES

Other routes from Aosta

The Aosta–Pila gondola above the city2 days

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

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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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NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Courmayeur

Courmayeur

Aosta Valley

Cervinia

Cervinia

Aosta Valley

Lake Como

Lake Como

Lombardy

Turin

Turin

Piedmont

PART OF

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