THE BIG AOSTA SURPRISE

It came as a total surprise to us to find Roman ruins in Aosta…

The eerie Criptoportico crypt extends over an impressive area.

Aosta is the capital city of Italy’s smallest and least populated region.

Even the ice cream parlor is located in a historic building

This splendid carved wooden door was not for sale, unfortunately…

On our way back to Paris from Italy, in August, we decided to pull off the highway in Aosta, the capital city of the bel paese’s smallest and least populated region. The plan was to stretch our legs and have a quick snack before tackling the 11 km long Mont Blanc tunnel. But contrary to all expectations, we stumbled upon striking Roman ruins – city walls, bridges, aqueducts, old crypts, even the relics of a theatre! We were so impressed that instead of leaving Aosta, we got tickets and went on a tour of the main archaeological sites.

After our visit, we checked the Mont Blanc tunnel website, which predicted long queues. So we decided to stay the night in town. Before dinner, we stocked up on the local Fontina cheese, and after, we gorged ourselves on the excellent gelato which we found at an artisan ice cream shop, more than happy to have postponed our crossing of the Mont Blanc!