The Roman road to Gaul at Donnas
A road cut into the rock, with its arch and milestone
At Donnas the valley narrows. To get their road through, the Romans cut straight into the rock face. This stretch of the road to Gaul is one of the finest examples of Roman engineering in the Alps.
A road carved in the rock
The road linked Eporedia (Ivrea) with Augusta Prætoria, then went on towards the passes. At Donnas the engineers cut into the rock for more than 200 metres. The ruts left by cart wheels can still be seen in the roadway.
The arch and the milestone
An arch was left in the rock itself, like a gateway. Next to it, a column carved from the rock face serves as a milestone. It bears the number XXXVI: 36 Roman miles, about 53 kilometres, still to go to Aosta.
Visiting
The stretch lies in the village of Donnas, along the old road. It can be walked freely.
Main photo: Lysippos, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.
Maps: personal work by Marc Badjou.
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