my only wish had been to live forev-
er.”
Leaving Aosta and its fineness be-
hind, we followed the tender stream
of the Dora Baltea, encountering
some of the most extraordinary
places adding to the beauty of the
passageway to the Po Valley. These
secondary roads are smooth and en-
joyable and here appears the Quart
Castle, a little further the Nus Castle,
perched on a cliff overlooking the
river. Across the river, on the other
bank, the evocative Fénis Castle,
made splendid by its double crenel-
lated walls and its many towers.
Castles, manors, small forts, high
mountains and a valley crossed by
a large alpine river. Back on SS26,
Verres Castle appeared to us from
above, imposing, clinging to the cliff
from which it controls the whole
territory.
Continuing, the riverside of the
Dora Baltea, it was at a brisk pace
that we got to Bard, which, thanks
to its massive fortress, ought to
be recognised as one of the most
suggestive locations of Aosta Valley.
A multi-story defensive complex
overtopping the village right at the
mouth of the gorge wherein the river
gets to be the only way in or out of
the region.
Here rested the Consular Via delle
Gallie, on which, from central Italy
to the Imperial borders, the Roman
Legions marched. Here, inexpug-
nabile oppidum, prince Amedeus
of Savoy strenuously resisted the
French siege of 1704. Here, in 1800,
the 44,000 strong Napoleonic army
spent two weeks to overcome just
400 gallant Austrian men vigorously
defending the fortress.
Surrounded by high mountains,
that enclose the way, we passed the
gorge and cut across an original
path of the Via delle Gallie which,
carved in the rocks, still recounts the
remains of the Roman strata and the
ancient splendor. The reliefs became
duller as we are entered Piedmont.
TRAVERSE 58