Aosta · Italy
Regional Archaeological Museum
The museum is built over a stretch of the Roman wall, and in the basement one walks beside the Porta Principalis Sinistra: the northern gate of the city, its blocks still in place. Upstairs, in the rooms, is what two centuries of excavation have given back: small bronzes, grave goods, inscriptions, coins, objects of daily use. It is where the histories scattered about the city are reassembled. If you have one hour only and wish to understand why Aosta is as it is, this is the point from which to begin, or the one to return to at the end.
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What is the Porta Principalis Sinistra?
The north gate of the Roman city. The name comes from the orientation of the military camp the street plan derives from.
What should I not miss?
The section on the Roman city and the grave goods: those are the objects that tell you about people rather than monuments.
How long does it take?
An hour is enough for a careful visit. Check the times, which change between high and low season.
Where it is
More stories in Aosta
- Adret and envers
- When the railway arrived
- Arch of Augustus
- The villages the city swallowed
- The Battle of the Queens
- Aosta Cathedral
- Church of Santo Stefano
- The steelworks