Information about the city tour Aosta

Aosta was founded by Romans in 25 B.C. and called Augusta Praetoria Salassorum in honor of Emperor Augustus. Nowadays Aosta is one of the most preserved Roman towns in the world and for this reason is also called “the Rome of the Alps”.

To the Roman period belongs the Roman bridge on Buthier river, which was part of the Roman Road to Gaul. The Arch of Augustus built in honour of the Emperor hosted the visitor before his entrance to the town centre. Porta Praetoria was the main entrance to the old town and it is the only gate still visible nowadays. The theatre is the most fascinating place, with its wonderful 22 meters heigh facade and the ruins of the lower part of the cavea, the orchestra and stage. The forensic cryptoporticus, a hidden arcade, was a charming place that surrounded the holy area of the Roman forum. Walking along the perimeter of the town center are still visible the boundary walls and the city towers.

The Medieval town of Aosta hosts the most important churches in the diocese. Together we will visit the Eearly – Christian church of Saint Lorenzo, built during the 4th century as a burial church for the first bishops of the Aosta Valley.
We will visit the Collegiate church of Saint Orso, a late gothic jewel that must absolutely be visited! The Collegiate comprises a high bell tower, the Romanesque crypt and a famous mosaic on the choir, the wonderful Romanesque cloister with its sculpted capitals, the Priorate – a unique building in terracotta – and the Ottonian frescoes in the attic.
The Cathedral is situated close to the Roman cryptoporticus and was built upon the ruins of an ancient Roman domus and it is still today the spiritual center of the diocese.

The city tour Aosta is a guided tour in one of the most beautiful alpine town in Italy.

Contact me to discover Aosta with a licensed tour guide.