Praetorian Gate - Aosta
N 45° 44.278 E 007° 19.413
32T E 369577 N 5066301
This gate, through which the ancients used to enter the town of Augusta Praetoria (Aosta) coming from Ivrea, was erected in 25 B.C.. It is the largest surviving Roman gate.
Waymark Code: WM1HGW
Location: Valle d'Aosta, Italy
Date Posted: 05/12/2007
Views: 76
It was built with enormous square blocks of stone and it consists of two parallel walls and a military courtyard inside. The external wall is 4.50 m. wide, while the inner one is 3.45 m. The walls feature three arches, of which the central one is larger than the other two to let the carts come in. This gate is now 3 metres underground because of the elevation of the ground. The original level of the Roman street is visible in a excavation of the basement on the southern side. It is very well preserved: only most of its marble facing has gone lost through the centuries.
On the outer face, several slabs of marble can still be seen that once clad the entire building (see photo).
On either side, the remains of the Roman wall dating back to 25 BC can still be seen, whose perimeter is almost perfectly preserved. Along the city wall, into which 20 towers were built at regular intervals, there were four gateways: the "Porta Praetoria" to the east, the "Porta Decumanna" to the west, the "Porta Principalis Dexterra" to the south and the "Porta Principalis Sinistra" to the north, ample traces of which can be seen at the Archaeological Museum. The Roman city stood on an area of 414,128 square meters.
Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening days/times:
24 x 7
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Partly intact or reconstructed
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