Standing at the eastern entrance to Aosta, this triumphal arch was raised in 25 BC to celebrate the Roman victory over the Salassi tribe and the founding of Augusta Praetoria. Built of conglomerate stone with engaged Corinthian columns, it has greeted travellers entering the city for over two thousand years, including the countless pilgrims descending from the Great St Bernard Pass onto the Italian leg of the Via Francigena.
Highlights
- Triumphal arch of 25 BC greeting travellers for two thousand years
- The Saint-Vout crucifix hung in 1449 against the Buthier floods
- Puddinga conglomerate stone, local river gravel made monumental
- Roman axis aligned on Porta Praetoria with the Alps closing the vista
- Dawn photography before the traffic along the old road axis
At a glance
| Period | Roman (25 BC) |
|---|---|
| Stage | 10 — Arras to Bapaume |
Take care
- Busy road junction — cross at the signals
- Mind traffic while photographing the arch
History
In the Middle Ages the arch was known as Saint-Vout, from a sacred image of the Saviour displayed beneath the vault; in 1449 a wooden crucifix was hung there as a votive offering against flooding of the nearby Buthier torrent. The crumbling attic storey was replaced with a slate roof in 1716 to stop water penetrating the stonework. A final restoration directed by Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1912 gave the monument its present form; the medieval crucifix is now kept in the cathedral museum.
Myth & legend
In the Middle Ages the arch was known as 'Saint-Vout', for the holy image of the Saviour set beneath its vault. In 1449 the townsfolk hung a wooden crucifix there as a votive offering against the flooding of the Buthier torrent, and a copy still hangs beneath the arch today.
Geology
The arch's fabric is local geology made monumental: puddinga, a conglomerate of rounded pebbles carried by the ancestral Dora Baltea and its glacial meltwaters, then naturally cemented into rock hard enough to quarry in blocks. It stands on gravels near the mouth of the Buthier torrent, spread across the floor of the glacially carved Aosta basin.
Wildlife & nature
Below the arch the Buthier joins the Dora Baltea, where grey wagtails and dippers work the stony braids and alder and willow line the banks. Above rise terraced vineyards and dry meadows patrolled by kestrels, and the Gran Paradiso valleys nearby hold ibex, chamois, marmots, golden eagles and reintroduced bearded vultures.
The view
The lone honorific arch stands astride the old road axis east of the walls, aligned on Porta Praetoria, with the Alps closing the vista behind two thousand years of traffic into the city.
Photography
Shoot along the street axis at first light when traffic is thin — the arch lines up with Porta Praetoria and the mountains; the Roman bridge over the Buthier nearby makes a second dawn subject.
When to visit
Clear spring and autumn days put snow on the peaks behind the arch; summer brings haze and traffic; as an open-air monument it is always viewable, so timing is about light, not season.
Getting there
Walkers leaving Aosta eastwards pass the arch near the old bridge over the Buthier; the city centre, with its rail and bus connections towards Ivrea and Turin, is only minutes away on foot.
Where to stay
Stay in Aosta itself — hotels, B&Bs and religious guesthouses are all close; pilgrim hostels reappear in the villages strung down the valley on the route towards Pont-Saint-Martin.
Food & water
Refill at the public fountains of Aosta's centre before leaving town eastwards; villages along the valley floor are regularly spaced, but summer heat builds quickly at these lower altitudes.
Safety
The arch stands on a busy road junction — cross at the signals and mind traffic while photographing. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
Viewing is at street level on level pavements around a busy junction; there is nothing to climb, which makes this one of the easiest monuments on the whole route to enjoy.
Visitor tips
Walk the straight Roman line from the arch through Porta Praetoria towards the forum area to read the ancient town plan, and photograph at dawn before the traffic; stamps are found at nearby churches.
The guide, in full
The written guide to this site.
Leave Aosta eastwards early, before the traffic finds its rhythm, and the road brings you to a single stone arch standing alone in the middle of a junction. It has been standing there for more than two thousand years. This is the Arch of Augustus, raised twenty-five years before Christ to mark Rome's victory over the Salassi and the founding of the colony of Augusta Praetoria, and it was built to greet travellers arriving from Italy at the eastern approach to the new town. You are meeting it the other way round, on your way out, and that is the pilgrim's angle: for century after century, walkers coming down from the Great St Bernard Pass have passed beneath this vault as they set off along the valley towards the plains. Look at what it is made of, because here local geology has been turned into a monument. The blocks are puddinga, a conglomerate of rounded pebbles that the ancestral Dora Baltea and its glacial meltwaters rolled and dumped across this basin, then cemented into rock hard enough to quarry and cut. Every face you touch is a frozen riverbed. Around the single archway run engaged Corinthian columns, sturdy rather than showy, and above them a heavy entablature. The little slate roof on top may puzzle you: the original attic storey crumbled away, and in seventeen sixteen that roof was added to shed rainwater and stop it soaking into the stone. It looks odd, it is not Roman, and it has very likely saved the monument. A final restoration directed by Ernesto Schiaparelli in nineteen twelve gave the arch the form you see now. In the Middle Ages nobody here called it the Arch of Augustus. It was Saint-Vout, named for the holy image of the Saviour displayed beneath its vault, and in fourteen forty-nine the townsfolk hung a wooden crucifix there as a votive offering, begging protection against the flooding of the Buthier torrent that runs close by. A copy still hangs beneath the vault today, while the medieval original is kept safe in the cathedral museum. Two thousand years on, and the townsfolk were still asking a Roman arch for help against their river. Now stand back and line yourself up with the street. The arch sits squarely on the old Roman axis, and along that line your eye runs straight through the Porta Praetoria and across the town, with the Alps closing the view behind. Roman surveyors thought in straight lines and mountains have never much cared, and here you can see both facts at once. Walk on a few minutes and you reach the old Roman bridge over the Buthier, still carrying its span above the water. Down there the torrent braids among gravel and boulders where grey wagtails bob and dippers walk beneath the surface, with alder and willow crowding the banks. Above the road rise terraced vineyards and dry meadows patrolled by kestrels, and up the side valleys towards Gran Paradiso live ibex, chamois, marmots, golden eagles and the reintroduced bearded vultures. Take care as you look, since the arch stands on a busy junction: cross at the signals and keep your eyes up from the camera. Then set your face east. From this arch the valley floor runs down towards Pont-Saint-Martin and Ivrea, and beyond them the great plain of the Po opens out, flat and warm and utterly unlike the mountains behind you. The Romans built the road. Sigeric wrote it down. You are the one walking it. Buon cammino.
Common questions
How old is Arch of Augustus, Aosta?
Arch of Augustus, Aosta dates from the Roman (25 BC) period.
How do I get to Arch of Augustus, Aosta?
Walkers leaving Aosta eastwards pass the arch near the old bridge over the Buthier; the city centre, with its rail and bus connections towards Ivrea and Turin, is only minutes away on foot.
Is Arch of Augustus, Aosta accessible?
Viewing is at street level on level pavements around a busy junction; there is nothing to climb, which makes this one of the easiest monuments on the whole route to enjoy.
When is the best time to visit Arch of Augustus, Aosta?
Clear spring and autumn days put snow on the peaks behind the arch; summer brings haze and traffic; as an open-air monument it is always viewable, so timing is about light, not season.
Is there food and water at Arch of Augustus, Aosta?
Refill at the public fountains of Aosta's centre before leaving town eastwards; villages along the valley floor are regularly spaced, but summer heat builds quickly at these lower altitudes.
Where can I stay near Arch of Augustus, Aosta?
Stay in Aosta itself — hotels, B&Bs and religious guesthouses are all close; pilgrim hostels reappear in the villages strung down the valley on the route towards Pont-Saint-Martin.
What should I know before visiting Arch of Augustus, Aosta?
Walk the straight Roman line from the arch through Porta Praetoria towards the forum area to read the ancient town plan, and photograph at dawn before the traffic; stamps are found at nearby churches.
Is Arch of Augustus, Aosta safe to visit?
The arch stands on a busy road junction — cross at the signals and mind traffic while photographing. In an emergency dial 112.
Nearby on the route
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