Italy - Aosta

Aosta is the capital of the Aosta Valley, located at the confluence of the rivers Buthier and Dora Baltea. It was a stronghold of the Salassi, a Celtic tribe that was subdued by the Romans in 25 BC. Augusta Praetoria - a Roman town - was founded there by Emperor Augustus. Aosta was always the most important centre of the Valle d’Aosta and became the regional capital in 1945.

Aosta retains the walls, two gates, and the street plan of its Roman predecessor, as well as a triumphal arch in honour of Augustus and remains of the theatre and the amphitheatre. The rectangular street plan, laid out in equal blocks, is an outstanding example of Roman formal city planning. Of later monuments, the cathedral is notable for its treasury and 12th-century floor mosaics, and the collegiate church of S. Orso for its Romanesque cloisters and Gothic choir stalls.