View from Aosta towards the Mont Blanc massif

Aosta the capital of the Aosta Valley region in the Italian Alps. The city has 34,000 inhabitants
The Aosta Valley was conquered by Terentius in 25 B.C. The local Salasser were sold into slavery. The city was founded by Augustus as a safety device for the route over the Little St. Bernard, with 3000 veterans of the Praetorian Guard. After the opening of the Great St. Bernard, the importance of the town increased.

These Roman structures can still be seen today in the townscape of the old town. The city wall had four gates. There was a forum, an amphitheatre, a theatre and various thermal baths.
In the early Middle Ages Pippin the Younger fought here against the Longobards, who had invaded Italy in 568.
The former French speaking Aosta got a train connection in the 20th century due to the influx of Italian speaking people.