Pont d'Aël, Aymavilles, Italy

The Pont d'Aël is a Roman aqueduct, located in the comune of Aymavilles in Aosta Valley, northern Italy. It was built in the year 3 BCE for irrigation purposes and supplying water for the newly founded colony of Augusta Praetoria, which is now known as Aosta. The water was directed through a neighbouring valley 66 m above the floor of the Aosta valley, through a sophisticated system. The aqueduct is 6 km long in total. In addition to its unusual position, the construction, which was originally thought to be a three-story structure, shows more unique features such as a control corridor below the water line, as well as explicit private funding. Today, the water channel of the aqueduct serves as a public walking trail.

Besides the Pont d'Aël, two other Roman bridges in the Aosta valley are still intact: the Pont-Saint-Martin in the town of the same name and the Pont de Pierre in Aosta.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Jock Gill (2 years ago)
2000 year old example of superb Roman engineering. Apprentice this was built with private funding, not state money. Located in a ravine and a small village. Recommended

Jean-Jacques Maucuer (2 years ago)
Glorious testimony of Romans building genius. Impressive!

Jeroen Mourik (2 years ago)
Fabulous restoration and conversion. The glass floor is brilliant, yet a little scary if you suffer from vertigo.

Lin Lin en Hans Bree (3 years ago)
closed due to covid, otherwise 5 star

Isabel Goegebeur (3 years ago)
The Ancient Roman aqueduct is a landmark not to be missed when you're in the region. It leads to a few interesting mountain walks with wonderful views of the Aosta valley.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright itmpa

Historic Site of the week

Dryburgh Abbey

Dryburgh Abbey on the banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders was founded in 1150 in an agreement between Hugh de Morville, Constable of Scotland, and the Premonstratensian canons regular from Alnwick Abbey in Northumberland. The arrival of the canons along with their first abbot, Roger, took place in 1152.

It was burned by English troops in 1322, after which it was restored only to be again burned by Richard II in 1385, but it flourished in the fifteenth century. It was finally destroyed in 1544, briefly surviving until the Scottish Reformation, when it was given to the Earl of Mar by James VI of Scotland. It is now a designated scheduled monument and the surrounding landscape is included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

David Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan bought the land in 1786. Sir Walter Scott and Douglas Haig are buried in its grounds.

Pont d'Aël

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Historic Site of the week

Dryburgh Abbey