Pont-Saint-Martin Roman Bridge

The highest, Roman bridge with only one arch

When is it open: everyday

What's not to be missed: walking on the bridge

Where is it: the centre of Pont-Saint-Martin (Piazza 4 Novembre)

Why?… Because it's worth it: the bridge is fastened to bare rock on both sides, is around 20 metres high and has one, 35 metre arch.

It is an impressive testimony of Romanisation in Valle d'Aosta. Its date is uncertain: some say it was built around 120 B.C., while others say 25 B.C. The wooden beam bearings dug into the live rock can be seen at its base. The beams provided the necessary framework to build the stone arch. Some iron crowns were added at the end of the nineteenth century to strengthen the structure. Imagination has even attributed the

construction of the bridge to the devil. St. Martin, the Bishop of Tours, on returning to his diocese was obstructed by the Lys River, which had overflowed to block the only footpath. The devil offered to resolve the problem by building a bridge, in one night, however in return he requested the soul of the first to cross the bridge. The saint accepted, however, the following morning he threw a piece of bread to the other side of the bridge, ensuring a

starving dog was the first to cross. The infuriated devil disappeared into the Lys with bolts of lighting and a sulphur stench, leaving the bridge to the local population. This legend is one of the main themes in the Pont-Saint-Martin carnival, which concludes with a devil burned in effigy under the Roman bridge.