Aosta

Europe

Italy

Access

Aosta can be reached via the Turin-Mont Blanc motorway, with a dedicated toll booth. Ordinary roads are provided by the Valle d'Aosta state road , which crosses the region longitudinally, connecting Pont-Saint-Martin to the Mont Blanc tunnel. The Aosta railway station is the terminus of the Chivasso-Ivrea-Aosta line; the connection with Pré-Saint-Didier is active, while the section towards Turin is subject to periodic infrastructural adjustments. The reference airports are Turin-Caselle and Milan-Malpensa. In the winter months, the road network may be affected by snowfall, particularly on roads to the hillside hamlets.

Introduction

Founded in 25 B.C. as a Roman colony under the name of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, Aosta is the main urban centre of the Aosta Valley and represents its administrative, historical and cultural hub. Situated at an altitude of 583 m in the central valley floor, at the confluence of the Dora Baltea and the Buthier torrent, it occupies a strategic position along the natural axis linking Piedmont to the passes of the Piccolo and Gran San Bernardo. The morphology is typical of a wide and flat alpine valley floor, framed by terraced slopes and elevations exceeding 2,500 metres. The town retains an urban layout of Roman origin that is still clearly legible, an element of identity that defines its character and directs its territorial perception.

Description

The municipal territory is developed in the central sector of the main valley, in a flat area shaped by glacial and fluvial action, surrounded by reliefs rising rapidly towards the Punta Chaligne and the slopes leading to the lateral valleys of Cogne and Gran San Bernardo. The Dora Baltea forms the main hydrographic axis, while the Buthier delimits the eastern sector. The landscape alternates between the compact urbanisation of the historic centre and 20th-century neighbourhoods and hamlets on the slopes, where rural elements and terracing remain.
Archaeological evidence attests to prehistoric frequentations in the Saint-Martin-de-Corléans area, but it was with the defeat of the Salassi by Augustus that the Roman colony was founded. The orthogonal layout, with cardo and decumanus, is still recognisable in the urban layout. Large portions of the walls remain, the Porta Praetoria, the Arch of Augustus, the Theatre, the Forum and the Roman bridge over the Buthier, elements that define a material continuity between the ancient and contemporary city.
In the Middle Ages, Aosta assumed a central role in the political organisation of the Aosta Valley. The Charte des franchises of 1191 marks an important institutional step in relations with Savoy, while the monumental complex of Sant'Orso and the Cathedral testify to the religious and cultural importance of the centre. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the town went through a phase of demographic and economic contraction, only to regain dynamism during the 19th century, also in relation to the enhancement of Roman remains and the development of mountaineering. Figures such as Georges Carrel contributed to the diffusion of mountain culture and the organisation of the first associative structures.
In the 20th century, the settlement of the Cogne steelworks significantly altered the urban and social fabric, leading to an expansion of construction towards the southern and western suburbs and a consistent demographic growth. Today, the tertiary sector prevails, with regional administrative functions, services, commerce and cultural activities.
The town is a junction for access to the main side valleys and is the starting point for hiking routes towards the Punta Chaligne, the hamlets of Arpuilles and Excenex and the routes connecting neighbouring municipalities. The presence of hilly trails and connections to the surrounding mountain areas complements the urban offer with an outdoor dimension easily accessible from the town centre.

Information

Area: 21.39 km²
Main town altitude: 583m
Main elevation: 2,607m - Punta Chaligne
Number of inhabitants: 33,124 as of 31.10.25
Name in dialect: Veulla
Name of inhabitants: Aostani
Patron Saint: San Grato (7 September)
Bordering municipalities: Charvensod, Gignod, Gressan, Pollein, Roisan, Saint-Christophe, Sarre
Official website: www.comune.aosta.en

Points of interest

Main points of interest

Archus of Augustus
Porta Praetoria
Roman Theatre of Aosta
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Collegiate Church of Saints Peter and Bear