Welcome to Aosta
from Jesse's Journeys in Italy
Population: 33,926 (2001)
Lat/Long: 45°43.98′ N 7°20.04′ E
Official website:
Aosta
Wikipedia:
Aosta
Map:
MapQuest
Aosta is the capital city of the
Region of Valle
d'Aosta, and shares its general
history. After defeating the
Salassi, a
Celtic tribe that had settled the
Baltea Plain, the
Romans established a military camp (Augusta
Praetoria Salassorum) here in about
25 BC, to guard and taken advantage of
the most important passes between Italy
and what is now France and Switzerland.
The city sits at the confluence of two
rivers, the Buthier and Dora Baltea,
and at the junction of two ancient roads
that carry the traveler north, one to
the Great St. Bernard pass, the other to
the Little St. Bernard pass. The Romans
built on a simple grid, with two roads
intersecting at right angles, with gates
in the walls leading into the city along
them.
A small city, Aosta has not suffered the
terrible devastations that have been
inflicted elsewhere by passing armies,
or by the earthquakes that have shaken
other parts of Italy. There is a
spacious, and timeless alpine feeling
throughout the city, particularly in and
around its principal piazza, the
Piazza Chanoux.
As a result of remaining a more or less
stable and peaceful city, there are many
extant and easily accessible Roman
ruins, and later medieval buildings
which have not been pulled down, but
certainly show all the effects of
exposure to the Alpine climate over the
last 10 centuries.
While there are some important
industries, most especially
hydroelectric generation and
distribution, and steel and aluminum
production, it is not a city
characterized by the hustle and bustle
of most modern cities.
The traveler will be able to explore all
the city's major monuments and buildings
in the course of a day, even if one
lingers at some.
Starting outside the medieval walls of
the "old" city, one will find the
Collegiata di Sant'Orso, a large
complex including a church, bell tower
and monastery, mostly in the Romanesque
style. The bell tower (campanile)
stands at 46 meters high, and has four
floors with mullioned windows near its
top. It was built between 994 and
1025AD, (with some rebuilding in the
15th century) and it is probably the
most important medieval building in the
city. The Gothic interior of the
church, which contains a remarkable
wooden choir (14th century) is decorated
with frescoes, some of which date to the
11th century. Below is a crypt
with five small aisles, dating to the
same period. The right aisle has
doors to the Romanesque cloisters,
probably added in the 12th Century.
Large sections of the city's medieval
walls, and several towers are clearly
visible, in some places, still in use.
The Porta Pretoria, still
extant, is one of the two principal
gates into the city following the
north-south road. In the walls
near the gate, one can still see chunks
of the marble slabs that used to line
the walls.
The tower to the right of the gate is
the Torre dei signori di Sant'Orso,
a building used during medieval times by
the Signori who ran local government.
The lower floor has been renovated as an
exhibition space.
A couple of other towers are of
interest. The Torre dei Belivi,
near the theater was a governor's
residence in its early days, but has
also servered as a court and later a
prison. The Tour Fromage, named
for its original owners, not because it
was a cheese factory. Like so many
historic buildings in Italy, it too has
been transformed into an exhibition
space.
Walking through the gate into the city,
you will encounter the neo-classical
Palazzo del Municipio on the
Piazza Chanoux. The Romanesque
Cathedral of the Assumption also
sits on the Piazza, and it gives way to
what used to be the Roman Forum,
the place where Roman's conducted their
markets and public meetings.
Archaeologists working on the Cathedral
site have discovered a variety of
paleo-christian works including paving
stones, stairways, tombs, baptismal
fonts and mosaics.
Another of the important churches in
town is Chiesa San Stefano with a
facade added in the 18th century.
Inside, there is a frescoe cycle
consisting of 10 panels celebrating the
life of the saints. Also inside,
one encounters a large statue of San
Cristoforo carved out of a section
of walnut tree with a diameter of one
and a half meters. Also keep an
eye out for the small Gothic Church
of San Lorenzo.
The Tour Pailleron (tower of
straw), near the train station is
an expanded version of the original
Roman tower in the Roman wall that was
used to store straw.
The Tour Bramafan evolved into a
castle and the Tour Lebbroso
- or tower of the leper - is the scene
of a famous French story by Xavier de
Maistre about a leper who was kept
confined there. There are two bell
towers, one built by the Cathedral, and
the other at the monastery just outside
the city walls.
The "bailiff's tower" was built
in the late 12th century. The
building was used as the principal seat
of local government starting in the mid
to late 14h Century.
Near the Arch of Augustus inside
the medieval walls, in the Piazza
d'Augusto, is a bridge, the Ponte
Romano, that used to span the
Buthier River. It serves
no purpose now because the river has
long since changed course.
Nearby is the Teatro Romano whose
facade, about 22 meters wide, still
stands. The Convent of Santa
Caterina partially obscures the
amphitheatre behind the wall at the back
of the main theater. The theater
complex was quite capacious having room
for 20,000 spectators.
The Museo Archeologico contains
relics and artifacts from, of course,
the Roman and medieval periods, but also
some that originate at a much earlier
time, when the area was under settlement
by the Salassi.
One does not have to spend all ones time
peering at ancient things. Aosta
has a number of restaurants, cafes and
shops in the "centro storico" where one
can bide one's time. The local
fare is a hearty blend of Italian,
French and Swiss.
Best times of year to come? Probably
just before and after the August holiday
to avoid the inevitable crowds of
impatient tourists. Of course,
those travelers who like to partake of
winter sports should plan a winter trip,
and use Aosta as a base camp for
excursions into the cold and snowny
mountains......brrrr!
by Vian Andrews, 11 September 2005 |
