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23-675: Aosta was settled in proto-historic times and later became a centre of the Salassi , many of whom were killed or sold into slavery by the Romans in 25 BC. The campaign was led by Terentius Varro , who then founded the Roman colony of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum , housing 3,000 retired veterans . After 11 BC Aosta became the capital of the Alpes Graies province of the Empire . Its position at

46-604: A Gallic or Ligurian tribe dwelling in the upper valley of the Dora Baltea river, near present-day Aosta , Aosta Valley , during the Iron Age and the Roman period . They are mentioned as dià Salassō̃n (διὰ Σαλασσῶν) by Polybius (2nd c. BC) and Strabo (early 1st c. AD), as Salassi by Livy (late 1st c. BC), as Salassos by Pliny (1st c. AD), as Salasíon (Σαλασίον) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD), as Salassoí (Σαλασσοί) by Appian (2nd c. AD). The origin of

69-685: A temple in the centre with two on the open (south) side, as well as a thermae , have also been discovered. Outside the town walls is the Arch of Augustus , a triumphal arch in honour of Augustus , built in 35 BC to celebrate the victory of consul Varro Murena over the Salassi. About 8 kilometres (5 miles) to the west is a single-arched Roman bridge , called the Pont d'Aël . It has a closed passage, lighted by windows for foot passengers in winter, and above it an open footpath. There are considerable remains of

92-456: A statue (?) by "the Salassi who had joined the colony from its beginning." Roman theatre, Aosta The Roman Theatre is an ancient building in Aosta , north-western Italy . It was built in the late reign of Augustus , some decades after the foundation of the city (25 BC), as testified by the presence of pre-existing structures in the area. There was also an amphitheatre , built during

115-663: Is located 5 km to the east of the city. Aosta is twinned with: L'Aquila , Abruzzo Aosta , Aosta Valley Bari , Apulia Potenza , Basilicata Catanzaro , Calabria Naples , Campania Bologna , Emilia-Romagna Trieste , Friuli-Venezia Giulia Rome , Lazio Genoa , Liguria Milan , Lombardy Ancona , Marche Campobasso , Molise Turin , Piedmont Cagliari , Sardinia Palermo , Sicily Trento , Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Florence , Tuscany Perugia , Umbria Venice , Veneto Salassi The Salassi or Salasses were

138-673: The Chivasso–Ivrea–Aosta railway . Direct trains only connect Aosta up to the city of Ivrea . The branch line to nearby Pré-Saint-Didier , in the Valdigne , on the way towards Courmayeur was closed in 2015. Train service is operated by Trenitalia . The main bus hub is located near the Aosta train station. Buses connect the city of Aosta to the nearby valleys and to destinations outside the region, including Turin , Milan , Chamonix (France) and Martigny (Switzerland). Aosta airport

161-639: The Mont Blanc massif and features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), bordering on a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk), also bordering on an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) and under the Köppen climate classification due to its low average annual rainfall. It is considered temperate oceanic (Trewartha: Do) in the Trewartha climate classification . The city experiences cool to very cold winters, hot summers and relatively dry conditions throughout

184-400: The enceinte and others are positioned at intervals, with two at each of the four gates, making twenty towers in total. They are roughly 6.5 metres (21 ft) square, and project 4.3 metres (14 ft) from the wall. Of the 20 original towers, the following are well preserved: The south and east gates exist intact. The latter, a double gate with three arches flanked by two towers known as

207-724: The Alpine route into the Po Valley and guard over the Salassi. Relations with the Romans were not uniformly peaceful; Strabo mentions that the Salassi robbed Julius Caesar 's treasury and threw rocks on his legions on the grounds that they were making roads and building bridges. There may have been a Roman campaign against the Salassi in 35 or 34 BC, launched from the valley of the Isère river under Antistius Vetus or Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus . For their last decade of freedom

230-550: The Porta Praetoria (1st century AD) was the eastern gate to the city, and has preserved its original forms apart from the marble covering. It is formed by two series of arches enclosing a small square. The rectangular arrangement of the streets is modeled on a Roman plan dividing the town into 64 blocks ( insulae ). The main road, about 10 metres (33 ft) wide, divides the city into two equal halves, running from east to west. This arrangement makes it clear that guarding

253-578: The Salassi – alongside some other, mainly Alpine, tribes subjugated by 14 BC – were almost the only remaining groups not under Roman control in the Mediterranean basin. After the Battle of Actium in 31 BC the Roman world was united under one ruler, Augustus , who could concentrate Roman forces against remaining holdouts. They were definitively conquered by Aulus Terentius Varro Murena in 25 BC, and

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276-610: The Short . Under his son, Charlemagne , Aosta acquired importance as a post on the Via Francigena , leading from Aachen to Italy . After 888 AD it was part of the renewed Kingdom of Italy under Arduin of Ivrea and Berengar of Friuli . In the 10th century Aosta became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy . After the fall of the latter in 1032, it became part of the lands of Count Humbert I of Savoy . The privilege of holding

299-529: The ancient road from Eporedia (modern Ivrea ) to Augusta Praetoria into the Aosta Valley . The modern railway follows this route, notable for the Pont Saint-Martin , which has a single arch with a span of 35 metres (115 ft) and a roadway 4.5 metres (15 ft) wide; the cutting of Donnas ; and the Roman bridges of Cillian ( Saint-Vincent ) and Aosta ( Pont de Pierre ). Aosta lies on

322-471: The assembly of the states-general was granted to the inhabitants in 1189. An executive council was nominated from this body in 1536, and continued to exist until 1802. After the Congress of Vienna restored the rule of Savoy it was reconstituted and formally recognized by Charles Albert of Sardinia , at the birth of his grandson Prince Amedeo , who was created duke of Aosta. Aosta is in the rain shadow of

345-409: The colony of Augusta Praetoria (modern Aosta ) was founded in the following year with 3,000 settlers. Strabo records that two thousand Salassi were killed and all the survivors, nearly 40,000 men, women, and children, were taken to Eporedia and sold into slavery. However, some remained; an inscription found near the west gate of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum is a dedication to Augustus dated 23 BC of

368-858: The confluence of two rivers, at the end of the Great and the Little St Bernard Pass , gave it considerable military importance, and its layout was that of a Roman military camp. After the fall of the Western Empire , the city was conquered, in turn, by the Burgundians , the Ostrogoths , and the Byzantines . The Lombards , who had annexed it to their Italian kingdom, were expelled by the Frankish Empire under Pepin

391-646: The crossroad of two major trans-alpine trunk roads: national road 26 (Italian: SS26, French: RN26) connecting the city of Chivasso to Little St Bernard Pass on the Italy - France border, and national road 27 (Italian: SS27, French: RN27) connecting the city of Aosta to the Great St Bernard Pass on the Italy - Switzerland border. Aosta is also served by the A5 motorway between Turin and Courmayeur . Aosta railway station , opened in 1886, forms part of

414-553: The ethnic name Salassi remains unclear. If Celtic, it may derive from the root sal -, with various possible explanations regarding the word-formation. According to Cato the Elder and Strabo , the Salassi were a Ligurian tribe . The Salassi lived in the upper valley of the Dora Baltea river, where they controlled the Great and Little St Bernard passes in the Alps, collecting road tolls, and gold and iron mines. Their territory

437-507: The reign of Claudius , located nearby. It was restored in 2009. Since 2011, the theatre is used for music shows and theatrical performs. The theatre occupies three blocks annexed to the ancient city walls, along the Roman main road (the decumanus maximus , next to the Porta Prætoria . The structure occupied an area of 81 by 64 metres (266 by 210 ft), and could contain up to 3,500/4,000 spectators. What remains today include

460-424: The road was the main raison d'être of the city. The Roman theatre , of which the southern façade remains today, is 22 metres (72 ft) tall. The structure, dating from the late reign of Augustus , occupied an area of 81 by 64 metres (266 by 210 ft); it could contain up to 4,000 spectators. In the nearby was the amphitheatre, built under Claudius . A marketplace surrounded by storehouses on three sides with

483-547: The southern façade, standing at 22 metres (72 ft). The cavea was enclosed in a rectangular-shaped wall including the remaining southern part. This was reinforced by buttresses each 5.5 metres (18 ft) from the other, and included by four orders of arcades which lightened its structure. It has been supposed that the theatre once had an upper cover, in the same way of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome . The orchestra had

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506-411: The year. The ancient town walls of Augusta Prætoria Salassorum are still preserved almost in their entirety, enclosing a rectangle 724 by 572 metres (2,375 by 1,877 ft). They are 6.4 metres (21 ft) high, built of concrete faced with small blocks of stone. At the bottom, the walls are nearly 2.75 metres (9.0 ft) thick, and at the top 1.83 metres (6.0 ft). Towers stand at angles to

529-692: Was located south of the Veragri , north of the Iemerii and Taurini , west of the Lepontii , Montunates and Votodrones , east of the Acitavones . According to Cato , they were part of the Taurisci . They were subjugated by the Roman forces of Claudius in 143 BC. The Roman Republic took over the rich gold deposits, and a colony was later planted in 100 BC at Eporedia ( Ivrea ) to take control of

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