At Donnas, Valle d’Aosta, Italy, the skill of the Roman engineers who built the Via delle Gallie, the ancient consular road to Gaul, is shown by an arch cut through a rocky spur that barred progress on the 200 m (656 ft) stretch that survives above the River Dora Baltea and today’s main road through the Aosta valley. The consular road was built by the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Its surface is still rutted by grooves worn by both Roman and medieval cart wheels. In medieval times, the road was used by Christian pilgrims following the Via Francigena from Northern Europe to Rome.
Donnas, Valle d’Aosta, Italy: a well-preserved 200 m (656 ft) stretch of the ancient Roman consular road to Gaul built by the emperor Augustus, the Via delle Gallie or Strada delle Gallie, survives above the River Dora Baltea and beside the modern main road through the Aosta Valley. The surface is still rutted by grooves worn by ancient and medieval cart wheels. Other sights include an arch cut through a rocky spur by skilled Roman engineers and a round milestone displaying the number of Roman miles (36) from Donnas to the city of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, now the Italian regional capital of Aosta. In medieval times, the road was used by pilgrims following the Via Francigena from Northern Europe to Rome.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Donnas, Valle d’Aosta, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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