Aosta

The “Rome of the Alps”: the Arch of Augustus and the Roman theatre still stand, castles line the valley, Gran Paradiso National Park lies to the south and high Alpine peaks rise all around.

Aosta is the capital of the autonomous region of Aosta Valley in Italy's far northwest. It sits in the middle of the Dora Baltea valley, ringed by Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and the Gran Paradiso. The Romans founded the town as Augusta Praetoria in 25 BC, and the Arch of Augustus, the Porta Praetoria, the Roman theatre and the underground cryptoporticus survive to this day, earning it the nickname “Rome of the Alps”. Both Italian and French are spoken in the region, and most place names are French.

Sightseeing falls into four areas: ① Aosta's old town — the Roman remains, the collegiate church and cloister of Sant'Orso, the cathedral and Piazza Chanoux, all easily covered on foot in a day; ② the castle trail along the main valley — heading east are the castles of Fénis, Issogne and Verrès and Fort Bard, and heading west the castles of Sarre, Saint-Pierre and Aymavilles; this is the area's most distinctive experience; ③ Gran Paradiso National Park — the village of Cogne in the Cogne Valley to the south, the Lillaz waterfalls and Valnontey, with summer hiking and ibex and chamois spotting; ④ mountains and spas — a cable car from the south side of town climbs straight to the Pila ski area, the Great St Bernard Pass lies to the north, the open-air thermal baths of Pré-Saint-Didier lie to the west, and the Gressoney Valley to the east is part of the Monterosa Ski area. For the Mont Blanc cable car, Courmayeur and Cervinia, see the Chamonix and Zermatt entries.

Best time to visit: June–September for hiking and castles, with all high-altitude trails and passes open in July–August; December–April for skiing; on 30–31 January the thousand-year-old Sant'Orso Fair showcases traditional woodcraft. Getting there: trains from Turin or Milan take about 2–2.5 hours (usually with a change at Ivrea or Chivasso); by car, take the A5 motorway; from Chamonix it's about 40 minutes through the Mont Blanc Tunnel. Most castles can only be visited on guided tours, some close on Mondays, and in summer it's best to book ahead on the regional website. Plan to stay 2–4 days; a car is the most convenient way to get around.

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