Aosta was founded in 25 BC as Augusta Praetoria, a Roman colony guarding the approaches to the Alpine passes, and is sometimes called the 'Rome of the Alps'. Its Roman theatre is dominated by a towering façade nearly 22 metres high, still standing amid the modern city. Together with the surrounding street grid and gates it gives the first arriving pilgrim a powerful sense of the Roman world that the Via Francigena was built upon.
Highlights
- The towering 22-metre Roman facade against a backdrop of Alpine peaks
- Founded 25 BC as Augusta Praetoria, the Rome of the Alps
- Birthplace of St Anselm and his boyhood dream of climbing to God's court
- Walking circuit with Porta Praetoria, cryptoporticus and cathedral
- Swifts, black redstarts and kestrels nesting in the ancient facade
At a glance
| Period | Roman (1st century BC) |
|---|---|
| Stage | 9 — Bruay-la-Buissière to Arras |
Take care
- Uneven ancient paving through the ruins
- Ordinary care in the town-centre site
History
The theatre went up late in the reign of Augustus, a few decades after the colony's foundation, and an amphitheatre followed nearby under Claudius. After the empire's fall the building was quarried for stone and gradually swallowed by medieval houses, with the convent of Saint Catherine occupying part of the site. Systematic clearance and restoration in the first half of the 20th century, concluded in the 1930s, freed the great facade seen today.
Myth & legend
Aosta is the birthplace of St Anselm, the great philosopher who became Archbishop of Canterbury. His biographer Eadmer tells how the boy, gazing at the peaks above the city, dreamt he climbed the mountains to the very court of God, where he was refreshed with the whitest of bread.
Geology
Aosta lies on the flat floor of one of the great glacial troughs of the western Alps: ice-age glaciers flowing down the Dora Baltea valley deepened it into a broad U-shape between walls of metamorphic rock. The level ground on which the Roman street grid sits is young fill, gravels and sands spread by the river and its Alpine tributaries after the ice withdrew.
Wildlife & nature
Swifts and house martins nest in the theatre's great façade and in the old town walls, with black redstarts and kestrels on the ledges and jackdaws in the cavities. The sun-baked valley slopes above the city are unusually steppe-like for the Alps, terraced in vines and dry grassland, and golden eagles cross the ridges beyond.
The view
The theatre's towering southern facade, nearly 22 metres of arched Roman masonry, stands against a backdrop of Alpine peaks — one of the most striking Roman-and-mountain pairings in Italy.
Photography
Morning light favours the great facade; in spring or autumn frame its arches against snow on the surrounding peaks, and shoot from the seating side for the tiers stacked under the sky.
When to visit
May, June and September are comfortable in the valley; August is the busiest month in Aosta; winter dusts the peaks behind the facade with snow and keeps visitor numbers low.
Getting there
The route descends from the Great St Bernard Pass into Aosta on foot; the city is linked to Turin through Ivrea by train and connecting buses, and valley buses serve villages along the onward route.
Where to stay
Aosta offers hotels and B&Bs at all levels, and credential holders can find pilgrim beds in religious houses here and in villages down the valley route towards Ivrea.
Food & water
Public fountains are common in Aosta, as in most Italian towns, so refill in the old centre; cafes line the pedestrian streets between the arch and the Piazza Chanoux.
Safety
Town-centre ruins with uneven ancient paving — ordinary care. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
The theatre sits within Aosta's flat, compact Roman street grid, so the approach is easy; inside the site expect gravel surfaces and some steps around the remains of the seating.
Visitor tips
Combine the theatre with Porta Praetoria, the cryptoporticus and the cathedral on a short walking circuit of Augusta Praetoria; churches and the tourist office will stamp your credential.
The guide, in full
The written guide to this site.
You come down off the mountain, tired and quietly triumphant, and the valley delivers you into a town that Rome built. Aosta was founded twenty-five years before Christ as Augusta Praetoria, a colony planted to hold the approaches to the Alpine passes once the Salassi people had been subdued, and the grid of streets you are walking is the grid the surveyors pegged out then. People call it the Rome of the Alps, and for once the nickname is honest. The theatre is the great set piece. Turn a corner in the modern town and a wall of arched masonry rises in front of you, nearly twenty-two metres of it, four tiers of tall openings stacked one above another against a backdrop of snow-streaked peaks. This is the southern facade of the theatre, and it is one of the most striking pairings of Roman stone and mountain anywhere in Italy. It went up late in the reign of Augustus, a few decades after the colony was founded, and an amphitheatre was added nearby under Claudius. Stand where the seating rose and imagine the tiers filling with colonists and soldiers, several thousand of them, watching plays in a valley that had been conquered territory within living memory. Time did what time does. After the empire fell the theatre became a quarry, and then a building site: medieval houses crowded into the ruins, and a convent dedicated to Saint Catherine took over part of the site altogether. Only in the first half of the twentieth century, in work concluded during the nineteen thirties, was the great facade cleared and freed to stand alone again. Aosta has a particular claim on you if you began this walk in Canterbury, because this is the birthplace of Saint Anselm, the philosopher and theologian who became Archbishop of Canterbury and whose memory is honoured in that same cathedral. His biographer Eadmer tells a lovely story about the boy: gazing up at the peaks above the city, he decided the court of God must sit on their summits, and one night he dreamt that he climbed the mountains and came into that court, where he was made welcome and refreshed with the whitest of bread. You have just come down from those very mountains. The bread here, as it happens, is excellent. The ground beneath the town explains its shape. Aosta sits on the flat floor of one of the great glacial troughs of the western Alps, a valley that ice-age glaciers ground into a broad U between walls of metamorphic rock. The level plain the Roman engineers found so convenient is young fill, gravels and sands spread by the Dora Baltea and its tributaries after the ice withdrew. There is life in the old stones too. Swifts and house martins nest in the theatre facade and the town walls, black redstarts and kestrels perch on the ledges, jackdaws squabble in the cavities, and the sun-baked slopes above the city are so dry and steppe-like, terraced in vines and thin grassland, that they feel more Mediterranean than Alpine. Golden eagles cross the ridges behind. Give yourself a slow circuit while you are here, since the theatre, the Porta Praetoria, the cryptoporticus and the cathedral all lie within a few minutes of one another, and churches and the tourist office will stamp your credential. Watch your footing on the ancient paving, take your boots off for an hour, and let this valley look after you. Rome founded this town. Rome is where you are going.
Common questions
How old is Roman Theatre of Aosta?
Roman Theatre of Aosta dates from the Roman (1st century BC) period.
How do I get to Roman Theatre of Aosta?
The route descends from the Great St Bernard Pass into Aosta on foot; the city is linked to Turin through Ivrea by train and connecting buses, and valley buses serve villages along the onward route.
Is Roman Theatre of Aosta accessible?
The theatre sits within Aosta's flat, compact Roman street grid, so the approach is easy; inside the site expect gravel surfaces and some steps around the remains of the seating.
When is the best time to visit Roman Theatre of Aosta?
May, June and September are comfortable in the valley; August is the busiest month in Aosta; winter dusts the peaks behind the facade with snow and keeps visitor numbers low.
Is there food and water at Roman Theatre of Aosta?
Public fountains are common in Aosta, as in most Italian towns, so refill in the old centre; cafes line the pedestrian streets between the arch and the Piazza Chanoux.
Where can I stay near Roman Theatre of Aosta?
Aosta offers hotels and B&Bs at all levels, and credential holders can find pilgrim beds in religious houses here and in villages down the valley route towards Ivrea.
What should I know before visiting Roman Theatre of Aosta?
Combine the theatre with Porta Praetoria, the cryptoporticus and the cathedral on a short walking circuit of Augusta Praetoria; churches and the tourist office will stamp your credential.
Is Roman Theatre of Aosta safe to visit?
Town-centre ruins with uneven ancient paving — ordinary care. In an emergency dial 112.
Nearby on the route
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