Aosta · Italy

Roman Walls, north side

The wall beside you is the Roman circuit, and it still follows the line established in 25 BC. The perimeter measures roughly 724 metres by 572: an almost perfect rectangle, with twenty towers and four gates. It was not a fortification conceived to withstand a siege, it was a declaration. The walls indicated where the city ended and all the rest began, and anyone observing them from outside understood at once whom they were dealing with. Two thousand years later, the rectangle is still legible on a plan of Aosta. The modern city has merely filled it in.

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How many towers were there?

About twenty, set around the perimeter and at the corners. Many survived because in the Middle Ages they became houses, bell towers or prisons.

Were they really for defence?

Partly. A colony newly founded on conquered ground needed security, but the walls were also the visible sign of Roman order.

Can I walk the whole circuit?

Almost. You can follow the perimeter on foot in a little over half an hour, alternating visible stretches of wall with streets that trace its line.

Where it is

Via / Rue Guido Rey, 11100 Aosta · 45.74036, 7.3205 · Open in Maps

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