Cryptoporticus of Aosta
Criptoportico forense
A U-shaped semi-subterranean arcade beneath the Roman Forum. Its long, dim, cool galleries are a rare surviving example of Roman urban underground structures.
The cryptoporticus was built at the end of the 1st century BC and lies beneath the temple precinct of the Roman Forum in Aosta. Its plan is U-shaped, and it consists of two parallel vaulted galleries with a total length of about 90 meters. Its purpose is still debated: it may have been the foundation of a temple platform, a storehouse or a covered promenade. Inside, the light is dim and the temperature stays constant. It is only a few steps from the cathedral above ground. It can be visited with the combined ticket for the Roman sites, and the entrance is on the small square beside the cathedral.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:00–19:00 (summer); shorter in winter; check official website
Nearby sights
- Aosta Cathedral
- Regional Archaeological Museum
- Piazza Émile Chanoux
- Roman Theatre of Aosta
- Porta Praetoria
- Collegiata di Sant'Orso
- Arch of Augustus
- Megalithic Area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans