ROMAN RUINS

                                       Fantastic Large Ruins             

            I hadn’t planned it but I knew we would be at the large Roman Ruins  in Aosta on my birthday. Aosta (oo sta—the a is silent) was an hour and a half ride from our base in Cogne, Italy. Located in the northwestern corner of Italy in the center of the Aosta valley the city stands at an altitude of 1900-feet, and is bounded on the north by Switzerland and to the west by France.

            Founded in 25 BC by Romans, primarily as a military camp, it is often called Rome of the Alps. The area was established where two roads intersected. Surrounded by mountains, Medieval Aosta with its cobbled streets and overhanging upper stories is a charming old alpine town. Houses are double story, made of stucco and painted various colors. Slate roofs are the most common. With a population of 25,000 the city is the largest in the valley. Walking around the historic center is easy as no cars are allowed.

             The spectacular mountains, four of which -- Mont Blanc, Cervino (also known as the Matterhorn), Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso -- stand higher than 13,123 feet.

            A local guide walked us around the extensive Roman ruins, stopping often during the three hours to explain what we were seeing. I’ve seen many Roman ruins in many different places over the years, but except in Rome, most often they were viewed from above frequently through protective glass. It was a thrill to walk through the gates and to walk among the well preserved ruins.

South entrance

            We started on the south side of the extensive ruins. Much of the fortification wall remains. The ancient town walls of Agusta Praetoria Salassorum enclose an area approximately 2360-feet by 1855-feet. The 20-foot high wall was built of concrete faced with stone. The bottom of the wall was about 10-feet thick and the top about six feet wide. The stone work was in remarkably good repair! The stones originally came from the river. The wall originally had 20 towers; the one on the southern wall is square, is original and is complete to a certain height—maybe 15 feet up. The towers were modified in the Middle Ages and one tower added brick work to show where the tower was altered or added to.

Old Roman Wall

            The rectangular arrangement of the streets is modeled on a Roman plan dividing the town into 64 blocks or insulae. The main road was 32-feet wide and divided the city into two equal halves running east to west.

            Among the ruins, outlying areas mix modern buildings with the old. The main square is large and bordered by large modern neo-classical buildings. The street is cobbled with the typical 3-4” granite squares common in the area.  The 11^th century cathedral is located in the area of the original forum. The 16^th century façade entrance (1522-1526) is gorgeous with wonderful frescos bordering all around the entrance door. In the 19^th century the white classical façade was added around the 16^th century part, making for a stunning total appearance.           

            Inside, glass covers a 4^th century baptismal font. The building of a vaulted ceiling destroyed ancient frescoes. The crucifix dates to 1397. The choir stall contains 15^th century walnut wood chairs that the seat can be flipped up so the monks could stand and lean against them to rest from a sitting position. The 18th century inlaid altar is simply gorgeous. The floor by the altar has lovely mosaics, one of which had been cleaned.

            We spent a good deal of time in the old theater that seated 4000 people. Instead of being the typical round theater, this one was rectangular shaped. The theory being the roof would be easier to build than a round one.

            The columns in the cloister are made of marble. Each has an evangelical or biblical scene as well as scenes from the life of Saint Orso.  The 12th century bell tower is the most impressive in the region.  It originally functioned as a place of refuge, as it is surrounded and defended by a bat­tlement wall.

            In the 15^th century brick and terra cotta decoration was added to the monastery façade. Inside the church the large square columns were of wide stripes of two different kinds of marble. The altar carvings were beautiful. There were several small sanctuaries on the inside left wall of the church.  It is still an operating monastery.

            We left the ruins through the south gate where we had entered the UNESCO site. The gate  has three arches; the large middle arch was for carriages and the two smaller gates, one on each side, were for pedestrians.

            What a fantastic morning we had spent with an animated and well informed guide.