Porta Praetoria

The basics

Visit the impressive Porta Praetoria with a private or small-group walking or cycling tour of Aosta’s old town. Sightseeing tours generally cover the city’s premier Roman ruin, or you can opt for a specialized tour that focuses on Aosta’s archaeological treasures, which also include the Roman Theater, Arch of Augustus, and city walls. In addition to admiring the city gate’s signature arches and courtyard, take in the original grooves where the city gate was lowered each night and a few remaining marble slabs that once lined the entire structure.

Things to know before you go

• Fans of Roman history and architecture won’t want to miss this important ancient landmark, which dates back more than 2,000 years.

• Porta Praetoria is open all day and bustles into the evening with pedestrians passing through on their way in and out of Aosta’s old town.

• The ancient city gate is part of the Roman walls that once encircled the city: Much of these rectangular walls and the watchtowers that sat at each corner are still standing and you can walk the perimeter in a couple of hours.

• The gate is accessible via street-level walkways, though you can see the foundation of the original gate below through the open side railings.

How to get there

Porta Praetoria sits on the eastern side of Aosta’s old town along the original Roman walls, and is a short walk from the city’s central attractions and train station. Direct trains run several times a day to Aosta from Turin, while Milan is about a 2-hour drive away.

When to get there

This open-air landmark is free to visit and is open 24 hours daily. By day it’s busy with pedestrians passing through to access Aosta’s old town, which is filled with shops and restaurants. After sunset, the Roman ruins are dramatically illuminated, offering an opportunity for particularly evocative photos.

The Roman walls of ancient Aosta

A towering 23-foot (7-meter) defensive wall encircled the ancient Roman city of Augusta Praetoria, forming a rectangle that totaled about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) in length. Twenty towers sat along the wall: two at each city gate, one at each corner, and others at regular intervals along the walls. Large sections of the walls and many of the towers are still visible, and a walk around the perimeter is a unique way to visit Aosta in just a few hours.