The history of Via Claudia Augusta

The growth and expansion of the Roman Empire went hand-in-hand with the construction of new military and trading roads. They were needed to lighten the burden of maintaining contact with their subjects and of controlling the territories they occupied. After the conquest of Raetia et Vindelicia and also Noricum, it became necessary to defend the empire's northern border along the Rhine and the Danube. This was the particular purpose of the Via Claudia Augusta. Work on the road was started in 15BC by Drusus, the adoptive son of Emperor Augustus, who had waged the war against the Rhaetians and the Vindelici. His son, Emperor Claudius, completed the work on the road in AD46-47 and that is why it was named after him. The Via Claudia Augusta started in the Po plain (Altinum, now Altino, near Venice and from Hostiglia, now Ostiglia near Mantua) to Augusta Vindelicum (or Vindelicorum, now the Bavarian town of Augsburg). From here it was only a short distance to Kastell Burghöfe, near what is now Mertingen, on the right bank of the Danube not far from Donauwörth, making a total length of 350 Roman miles (approx. 520km).
Two milestones have survived as incontrovertible evidence for the existence of the Via Claudia Augusta, which was constructed using the typical Roman method of beaten earth on multi-layered substrata of gravel and stones (viae glarea strata). One was found in 1552 in Rablà/Rabland near Merano/Meran (South Tyrol, Italy), the other in 1786 in Cesiomaggiore (Belluno Province) in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The Rablà milestone is now kept in the Municipal Museum in Bolzano/Bozen (South Tyrol, Italy).
The Cesiomaggiore milestone, on the other hand, can now be seen in the Villa delle Centenère near Feltre. The inscriptions on the two milestones point to an important difference. The Rablà inscription gives the River Po as the starting point; the one at Cesiomaggiore gives Altino. But both give the Danube as its finishing point.
We must therefore assume that the Via Claudia Augusta followed two different routes. What is perhaps the older arm is the so-called Via Claudia Padana, which started at the vicus (a small civilian settlement) of Hostilia (Ostiglia) and went as far as Trento/Trient. This section is mentioned on two famous road maps, the Itinerarium Antonini (3rd century AD) and the Tabula Peutingeriana (4th century AD). From Tridentium (now Trento), the Imperial highway – which merged with the Via Claudia Altinate here – passed along the Adige valley up to Pons Drusi (Bolzano/Bozen), took a westerly course there to Maia (Merano/Meran), crossed the Reschen Pass, followed the Aenus (Inn) valley, before reaching Foetibus (Füssen) and then followed the River Lecha (Lech), touching Augusta Vindelicum (Augsburg) and terminating in Submuntorium near Donauwörth.
However, not all historians are in agreement about the course of the other arm, the Via Claudia Altinate. The latest findings suggest that the road started in Altinum (Altino), passed through Treviso and then went on through the Piave valley to Feltria (Feltre). Beyond Feltre, the road probably opened out on to the Tesino plain. From here it entered the Valsugana (Ausugum camp, Borgo Valsugana), before dropping down to Tridentium.



History and culture

The Via Claudia Augusta, first a military road, then a trading route, led to the creation of a tight network of main and subsidiary roads in the Po, Adriatic and Danube region and these contributed to the civil, social, commercial and cultural welfare of many peoples. If you cover the 500km between Donauwörth in the north and Ostiglia in the south or Altino, near Venice, in the south-east, you will become aware of the road's wide-ranging and diverse cultural legacy, which incorporates the archaeological sites and other historic landmarks, informing our knowledge of the Via Claudia Augusta today.
This cultural legacy, however, also includes churches, old chapels, castles and palaces from various eras, fortresses, vast but tranquil monasteries, fortified villages and quiet towns. New surprises beckon at every turn along the Via Claudia Augusta. Houses adorned with frescoes, lovingly restored towns and villages, large museums, small museums and reminders of recent wars waged between the same nations that are now working together within a united Europe to upgrade the ancient Via Claudia Augusta.



Nature and the environment

The varied, but sensitive natural world and countryside in the Alpine region are the result of a long process, during which people have over generations sought to shape their own environment. Travel by car or by bike, or even on foot, through the Alpine valleys, and it will become clear just how much man has left his mark on the landscape.
The route of the Via Claudia Augusta invites travellers to explore country parks, nature reserves, biotopes and high-altitude havens, where wild animals and lush vegetation have turned this part of the Alps into both a zoo and a botanical garden. Visitor centres along this former Roman road supply information, breathtaking landscapes provide unique photographic material, while the stillness of nature reigns over lake and forest. Whatever the time of year, the Via Claudia Augusta provides the setting for a unique encounter with wonders of nature.



Wine, culinary specialties and tourism

The vitality and warmth of the people is also evident at the table, in the enjoyment of many varied culinary specialities, at festivals and in long-established traditions. You will feast on simple, hearty, but delicious dishes, which were often the basis for the modest, but traditional fare of generations of miners or fishermen.
On the journey from the Adriatic or from the Po through the foothills of the Alps, then over the Alps and down to the plains of the Danube, the range of foods and wines on offer will vary enormously. Imagine the Via Claudia Augusta as a long table, crammed with hearty Bavarian specialities, all washed down with a cool beer from a Bavarian brewery, meat dishes much loved by Tyrolean farmers, accompanied by fine wines from a South Tyrolean or Trentino wine cellar, any of which would go well with the superb fish dishes from Veneto or the Po plain. And when culinary and wine traditions combine with historic festivals, with ancient customs and costumes, then the result is a great party.



The cycle route

When you follow the Via Claudia Augusta on a bike between the Danube, the Adriatic and the Po, you will be taking part in a rich and exciting experience. Slow down, making sure you visit not just the main centres, but also stop off and explore one or more of the smaller, but for that reason, fascinating towns en route. Make a detour to see a knights' castle, an old monastery or a nature reserve.
Cyclists following the route of the Via Claudia Augusta will discover a network of cycle ways and quiet country lanes. Beside the route lie many towns and villages, where you will get help if you need a cycle repair, but also plenty of places for overnight stops and meals.
The regions, cities and municipalities have devised a cycle route though the areas beside the former Via Claudia Augusta, stretching from Donauwörth (Bavaria) to Altino near Venice or to Ostiglia (near Mantua). Pre-existing cycle ways have been integrated and the various sections uniformly signposted. Information panels in three languages refer to places of special interest and relics from the Roman era.



Via Claudia Augusta on foot - Following the footsteps of the Romans

Most Romans walked the Via Claudia Augusta. So well-equipped wayside inns at intervals that corresponded with a day's walking were established. The Romans called them MANSIONES. Their main function was to supply overnight accommodation and food. But usually there was also a small bath and shrine.
In the same vein, we have devised a varied long-distance walkers' route along this historic road. The recommended overnight stops at distances of between 4 and 6 walking hours break up the route into practical day-long stages. In some cases, these stopping points are the same places at which the Romans also interrupted their journey.



The Via Claudia Augusta in Bavaria

Along the Danube, which has always been navigable, ran the Roman limes or defensive line built to protect the Roman Empire from the Germanic peoples. Traces of this defensive boundary can still be seen where the Altmühl flows into the Danube or built into Regensburg's city walls. In 15BC Emperor Augustus sent Drusus and Tiberius over the Alps to keep the whole of Germania under control and to defend the Empire against the Cimbri tribe, which had taken the place of the Celts. The Romans thereby created a new province, bordered in the north by the Danube and known as Rhaetia. Vespasian was responsible for the construction of the limes, but it was not able to resist the Alemanns (259-260) and in 402 it was abandoned on the orders of Constantine.
Accompanying the visitor through the Via Claudia Augusta corridor from Donauwörth to Schwangau are many Roman remains, some of which are now to be found in archaeological museums, while some remain out in the open air. Augsburg, which in the 1st century AD covered an area of 75 hectares and had a population of 10,000, was a flourishing centre. A Capitoline temple, a 3,000 sq. m covered market, a theatre, bath-house and townhouses testify to that. Various sections of the road have survived, one of which is to be seen by the banks of Lake Forggen near Füssen. Also of interest are the remains of the Roman villa rustica in Peiting, the Roman baths in Schwangau and the Roman artisan and army settlement on the 1055m-high Auerberg near Bernbeuren. The information centre in Rosshaupten and the numerous Roman museums in Donauwörth, Augsburg and Epfach have much to interest visitors.



The Auerberg region by the Via Claudia Augusta

At the point where 2,500 years ago Romans and Celts faced each other, now Old Bavaria meets the Allgäu. The undulating countryside of the Auerbergland, the eastern Allgäu and the Pfaffenwinkel region, on the northern fringes of the Alps retain many traces of its ancient ancestry; it is an area of mystery and secrets. This part of southern Germany was named after the Auerberg, a mountain that stands some 1,055m above sea level. The Romans once had a military camp here, now a country inn and a pilgrimage church with a Romanesque tower stand atop the Auerberg. The view towards the Alps extends from the Benediktenwand mountain range as far as Grünten im Allgäu via Schloss Neuschwanstein. The 13 Upper Bavarian and Bavarian-Swabian Auerbergland municipalities have spun − and signposted − for walkers and cyclists a web of historic and scenic routes, criss-crossing the forests, meadows and hillsides beside the River Lech. These routes go through picture-book hamlets, past ancient ramparts and hidden lakes, alongside mountain torrents, waterfalls and lush meadows.
The thirteen villages have a rich cultural heritage. The amazing church in Wies, the Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Saviour, now a World Heritage Site, and the unique Romanesque basilica in Altenstadt are both absolute musts. The story of the Auerbergland can be followed in the exhibits kept by the Auerbergland Museum Association. It would be well worth making a detour to the historic hammer mill and carriage museum in Schwabsoien. Also of interest are the raft museum in Lechbruck am See, the village museum with its Via Claudia Information Centre in Rosshaupten and the Doll Museum in Rieden.
Everywhere you go you will see a panoramic landscape in all its glory. If you would like to gain more insight into its origins, then you can explore the region in a fun way on the Moos Adventure Trail in Stötten am Auerberg. Incorporated into the walking and cycling network are national long-distance routes, such as the Prälatenweg (the Prelate Path), the Münchener Jakobsweg (the Munich Way of St James) and, of course, the Via Claudia Augusta. Emperor Augustus' "motorway" has been revived as a cultural axis across the Alps and also as a tourist route, with both cyclists and walkers in mind. Cutting through the Alpine valleys, it is now a major attraction. The Via Claudia Augusta runs through the Auerbergland for just under 30 kilometres. Many of the sections are easy to follow and the route is now protected as an archaeological site. At many points in the Auerbergland, replica milestones recall the Roman road. On the south side of this holiday and leisure region around the Auerberg, Lake Forggen, formed by damming the River Lech, has swallowed up the pride of the Roman road builders. Only when the water is drained do sections of the road embankment emerge. But visitors will be more than compensated by the water sports activities on Lake Forggen, plus the many other opportunities to relax and unwind there.



The Via Claudia Augusta in the Tyrol

In the 1st century BC the Romans arrived in the Tyrol and drove out the Gallic Celts and the Rhaetians. The Danube, or Danuvius to the Romans, was also for the Tyrol the northern border of the Roman Empire. It served as a barrier against the advance of any Germanic tribes from the north. In the 5th century AD, however, the Romans were repelled by Germanic tribes.
Beyond the Reschen Pass, the Via Claudia Augusta followed the Inn valley for a while. It ran parallel to what is now the federal highway between Nauders (the Roman camp of Inutrium was mentioned in records in AD150) and Landeck. Uncovered here was a section of a gravel track, which is associated with the old Imperial road. The village of Pfunds (from fundus), at the half-way stage, recalls the Roman settlement. The village of Fliess (twinned with Meano, a suburb of Trento) near Landeck boasts an interesting archaeological museum with numerous finds from Roman times. Next comes Imst − in 763 it was known as Oppidum Humiste. The Roman road crossed the Fernpass and then followed the course of the River Lech. Uncovered in Lermoos was a section of road, built on piles through the marshy Lermoos Moor area. It is known in German as a Prügelweg or a log path.



The Via Claudia Augusta in South Tyrol

After the Roman conquest (1st Century BC), Augustus annexed a part of Decima Regio (later Venetia et Histria). On the other hand, Rhaetia began in Merano/Meran and Sabiona/Säben, forming a province with Vindelicia (Augsburg). The Puster valley was added to the province of Noricum.
The Via Claudia Augusta followed the course of the Etsch/Adige river from the Salurner Klause/Chiusa di Salorno to Egna/Neumarkt and the Mansio Endidae staging post (remains of a building from the 1st century AD, recently uncovered and restored), which was mentioned in the Itinerarium Antonini (3rd century AD). A Roman brick marked with the auresis kiln stamp was found in Castel Vetere/Castelfelder. In Bolzano/Bozen, which in AD15 Drusus called Pons Drusi because of the important bridge over the Isarco/Eisack, the Roman road turned towards Val Venosta/Vintschgau, passing Maia (now Merano/Meran) station and the nearby Algund/Lagundo, where the abutment of a bridge from Roman times has been found. The milestone exhibited in Rablà/Rabland – as does the milestone from Cesiomaggiore – proves the existence of the Via Claudia Augusta. The inscription states a Flumine Pado at flumen Danuvium.
The salt road, later connecting Salzburg with the Engadine (a long alpine valley in southeast Switzerland), ran through Glurns (Glorenza), which the Romans elevated to a town by edict, while in Malles Venosta/Mals, before the Reschen Pass, the fragment of a marble Statue of Venus was found. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Theoderich, King of the Ostrogoths, sought to transform South Tyrol into an outpost to protect his empire from enemy attacks, but after his death (526) the Germanic Bavarii captured the territory. They were followed by the Lombards, who created a duchy here. In the Middle Ages, the region fell under the political and religious influence of the prince bishops of Trento/Trient and Bressanone/Brixen and later the counts of the Tyrol. Although the Brenner Pass is not as high as the Reschen Pass, it was not used until later, because the wild Isarco/Eisack gorge often had to be bypassed by diverting from Sterzing to Merano/Meran via the Passo di Monte Giovo/Jaufenpass.



The Via Claudia Augusta in Trentino

The Alpine region was fully incorporated into the Roman Empire ca. 16-15BC, when Drusus and Tiberius subjugated the Rhaetians and Vindelicans north of Bolzano/Bozen. The area known today as Trentino, however, lived peacefully under Roman rule during the 2nd and 1st century BC. At the end of the 1st century BC, Octavianus Augustus divided Italy into 11 regions. What is now Trentino, together with the southern part of South Tyrol, eastern Lombardy, the Veneto, Friuli and Istria as far as Pula, belonged to the Decima Regio. Later, under Emperor Diocletian, the region was officially known as Venetia et Histria.
In accordance with the Roman custom, in Trentino the land was divided into "centuries". These evenly-partitioned plots were then shared out among the inhabitants. A good example of a sub-division into centuries survives in the Lower Sarca valley.
The Roman colony of Tridentum (Trento) became a municipium in 49−42BC. The town was bordered on three sides by walls with gates (the other side was protected by the River Etsch/Adige). It had a rectangular ground-plan with six cardi and eight decumani (intersecting main roads). These are still visible in the remains of the Roman town (S.A.S.S. – an archaeological site beneath the modern town, suburban villa with baths, amphitheatre, remains of the wall with the Veronensis double gate).
When following the course of the Via Claudia Augusta in the Adige valley, the town of Mezzacorona deserves a closer look. Here a section of the then main street made from crushed shingle and the remains of the walls from adjacent houses has been uncovered (reconstruction of a domus in the town; 1st – 6th century AD), and also the remains of a farmhouse, consisting of two buildings from the late Imperial era (to be seen under the Cantine Mezzacorona cellars). A Roman necropolis was found in Nomi in the Adige valley. Likewise in Pomarolo (district of Servìs). Here all the deceased were interred with burial offerings. In Isera, not far from Rovereto, the remains of a two-storey farmhouse can be seen (1st century AD). Artefacts from here are kept in the municipal museum in Rovereto. In the areas around Ala and Avio, part of the municipium of Verona, more relics from the Imperial era have been uncovered. These include tombstone inscriptions, a milestone in the church of Santa Pietro in Bosco and a bronze bust, now kept in the antiquarium in Avio.
The Valsugana is a good example of how settlements that emerged in prehistory remained inhabited until the Roman Imperial era. This applies to the settlement on the Dosso di Santa Ippolito above Castello Tesino (Archaeology Park). Of particular importance here is the milestone in Tenna di Levico (on the Piazza Santa Rocco), which is thought to show the distance to Feltre in Roman miles.



The Via Claudia Augusta – Historical evidence in the Valsugana

The new historic route, LE VIE DELLA STORIA, which tracks the Via Claudia Augusta, is the result of a co-operative venture between 26 municipalities. It guides visitors through an area rich in history and tradition and introduces them to products typical of the locality.

VALSUGANA and LAGORAI: the smile of Trentino

The Valsugana valley, in between the Adige valley and the Veneto plain, a region dominated by the River Brenta and the vast peaks of the Lagorai mountain range, retains many interesting artefacts from the Roman era. The church of Santa Ermete in Calceranica, for example, houses a memorial stone to the Goddess Diana, while in Levico there is a stone sarcophagus from an early necropolis and in Tenna there is a milestone. But history lives on in the old villages, the imposing castles overlooking the valley and the fortresses from World War I. Tourists wishing to get closer to the soul of this area would do well to explore the many museums and exhibitions hereabouts. These include the mining park at Calceranica and the Garden of the Sicconi Tower in Caldonazzo, the Molino Angeli mill with the House of the Scarecrow in Marter, the Museo Soggetto Montagna Donna (Museum of Life for the Women of the Mountains) in the tiny village of Olle or the Museo della Grande Guerra (World War I Museum) in Borgo Valsugana, the Latteria Sociale dairy in Strigna, the Casa Museo of Alcide Degasperi in Pieve Tesino, established as a memorial to a great politician and a founding father of modern Europe and the archive of old printing presses in the Tesino uplands. Lovers of modern art simply must take a detour to Arte Sella. On display here is the famous Cattedrale vegetale, a piece that brings together nature and art in a new form of expression. The Valsugana and the Lagorai mountain ranges also make great natural "outdoor gymnasiums" with many leisure pursuits to suit all ages. Sports enthusiasts ought to check out the Ippovia del Trentino orientale. This is a bridleway, over 400km in length, through the enchanting countryside of eastern Trentino. If you prefer to cycle, then there is the Pista ciclabile del Brenta cycleway in the Valsugana, plus many other mountain tracks suitable for mountain bikers. The lakes at Caldonazzo and Levico, on the other hand, are perfect for water sports enthusiasts. Elsewhere in the Valsugana, water is the key ingredient for a number of relaxing therapies, including thermal baths and fango mud baths.

The Vigolana upland plateau: for an idyllic holiday

The Vigolana upland plateau, between the mountains of the Vigolana and the Marzola, is the perfect place for those seeking relaxation and close contact with nature, good local produce and warm hospitality. Outdoor sports fans will discover here a network of good footpaths known as the 60KM DELLA VIGOLANA. These trails are ideal for trekking, mountain biking, Nordic walking and riding. If you prefer aquatic activities, then you should take advantage of the facilities available at the Parco Fluvial del Torrente Centa (Centa Mountain Stream Riverside Park) among small factory buildings from ancient times and unspoilt countryside. The Acropark is also worth a visit. Among many other attractions here, the Tibetan rope bridges suspended from trees present an exciting challenge.

Civezzano and the Argentario mine: a journey back in time

Monte Calisio has for a long time been an important centre for silver mining. There are also quarries supplying ammonitico rosso limestone and porphyry. Mining continues to this day. The existence of the canopi – old mine shafts – generates interest in this extraordinary part of Italy. Civezzano can offer many sights of cultural interest. There is the church of Santa Maria Assunta, the Castel Telvana, now council offices, the 18th-century Villa Ranzi and the Canopi Tower. Also of interest is the Austro-Hungarian fortress on the old Roman Imperial road. It was built to block any assault on the town of Trento.



Via Claudia Augusta in Veneto

Initially, in the 6th century BC, the Veneti, possibly a tribe from Anatolia, which had replaced the Euganeans, gave the region its structure. But then the Roman influence become much stronger, firstly through the construction of the major communication routes, some of which are still identifiable (the Via Annia from Padua to Altino, the Via Postumia from Genoa to Aquileia, the Via Popilia from Rimini to Aquileia, the Via Emilia from Bologna to Aquileia, the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate and the Via Claudia Augusta Padana), and later by the Lex Pompeia, which elevated the Veneto towns to a colonia to comply with Roman law. Under Augustus in 49BC Veneto became part of the Decima Regio. The region enjoyed commercial prosperity. Padua, a trading centre and the heart of fabric production, was after Rome the Empire's second-richest town.
The tight network of municipia exercised relatively far-reaching control over the Veneto region. The task was made easier because of the well-maintained road and canal network and the orderly partition into "centuries", the basis for later administrative structures, such as in the agro, or countryside, surrounding Padua and Treviso. Towns such as Oderzo and Aquileia became bases for Roman army operations in the northern Adriatic, while Verona set about adorning itself with the arena and theatre.
As to the much-discussed course of the Via Claudia Augusta in Veneto, a meeting of archaeologists in Feltre in 1999 came to the conclusion that in all probability the Via went from Altino via Treviso to Feltre through the Valle del Piave (near Ponte Priula on the Piave is the Via dei Mercatelli, another Roman road). As for the archaeological sites, as well as Roman Feltria, the main municipii were Altinum and Tarvisium (now Treviso). Altinum lay at the junction of the Via Claudia Augusta and the Via Annia near the River Sile. In Altino there is considerable documentation about the Roman settlement (1st century BC – 1st century AD), including in the local archaeological museum. Tarvisium was protected by the walls of the castrum. The road to Altinum passed through the Altinia gate.
Of the settlements beside the Via Claudia Augusta Padana, apart from Nogara and Ostiglia, artefacts from which are now displayed in their respective archaeological museums, Verona is of great significance. Verona was re-established around the middle of the 1st century BC, because of its growing strategic importance for the Roman Empire's policy of expansion. However, at the end of the 3rd century AD, attacks by the Marcomanni and other Germanic tribes disturbed the region's peace. The arrival on the scene of the Lombards (6th and 7th century) led to a further deterioration. The Decima Regio lost its coherence, the mainland towns were split up into many duchies, the fields were no longer cultivated and large areas of woodland and marshland took over.
The Veneto lagoon area (Venice was founded in 421) and Istria remained under Byzantine rule, from which it was liberated by Charlemagne, who then divided Veneto into various smaller territories (8th century). Venice became the main port for trade between the Orient and continental Europe and it retained this status until the great Voyages of Discovery of the 16th century, when new trade routes were opened up.



The town of Feltre on the Via Claudia Augusta

Feltria, from 42BC a Roman municipium on territory belonging to the Menenian tribe, was destroyed and rebuilt several times during the great migrations. Under the Lombards and later under the Franks, the town enjoyed a degree of stability, thanks to its walled hilltop fortifications. The town gained its present characteristic appearance in the 16th century, when it was rebuilt after its destruction during the War of the League of Cambrai (1509). That is perhaps the reason why Feltre is so different from other, smaller settlements in Veneto. It rather resembles the elegant towns associated with the Renaissance.
After the fall of Venice and the French advance (1797), Feltre came under Austrian rule and then in 1866 it became part of the new Kingdom of Italy. In the 19th century, the focal point of the town moved away from the elevated citadel (Piazza Maggiore) to the access roads, which branch out from the 16th century town gate (Porta Imperiale or Castaldi). However, the beating heart of the town continues to be the Piazza Maggiore, which it is thought occupies the site of the old Roman forum. It is now the location for the Palazzo della Ragione (1548−1570) with its airy, rustic arcade, attributed to the great Vicenza architect, Andrea Palladio. On one side of the piazza stands the Santa Rocco church, which overlooks the main square tower of the old castle, built on the site of a Roman watchtower. Not far away is the C. Rizzarda Gallery of contemporary art and the municipal museum, which houses a collection of antiquities, a crafts section, a valuable collection of walnut furniture and an interesting gallery of paintings. The archaeological collections consist of a lapidarium with the exhibits showing mainly Roman inscriptions found during excavation work beneath the cathedral and the Porta Imperiale. Also worth a mention are the Anna Perenna, an Italian deity, a consecrated altar (1st century BC), a theatre mask, a male effigy (both 1st century AD) and also a fragment with a picture of a young man (from the following century).
The square in front of the cathedral − founded very early on, rebuilt in Renaissance style and dedicated to St Peter (Santa Pietro) − forms the town's religious heart. The church square, situated above an important archaeological site, was excavated in the 1970s and has been accessible to the public since 1995. On view here are the remains of dwellings and workshops beside two streets, one of which is surfaced with large cobblestones. One building, consisting of two large rooms, whose floor is covered with marble slabs and mosaic inlays, was probably the headquarters of a craft association (schola). Although dating from much later, the remains of a baptistery with a circular ground plan serve as indisputable evidence of the advent of Christianity.



Ostiglia / Po on the Via Claudia Augusta

Ancient Hostilia owes its name to the Latin word ostium meaning "entrance" or "mouth", perhaps because at one time water from the Po flowed into this marshy area. Others say the name comes from estates of the Roman, Quinto Curio Ostiglio. Ostiglia lies only 13m above sea level and we know it is a fairly old settlement because lamps, urns and pagan artefacts have been found here. These were unearthed in excavations carried out in 1722 and 1817. The town rose to a position of considerable importance during the Roman era. According to legend, it was also the home of the Roman historian, Cornelius Nepos (1st century BC).
In 268BC, the Romans established the military colony of Rimini as the starting point for the conquest of the fertile Po plains. Next in line were Piacenza and Cremona, which historic sources called ports. Ostiglia, like the municipia of Mantua, Brescia and Cremona, was annexed to the Augustan region of Transpadana Venetia et Histria, which lay north of the Po with Aquileia as its capital. Ostiglia was geographically close to the main routes along the Po, for centuries a vital waterway. The milestone from Rablà/Rabland (Merano/Meran, South Tyrol) with the inscription a flumine Pado indicates that the Roman road – the Via Claudia Augusta Padana running along the banks of the Po from Ostiglia – led to the Danube.
In the 3rd century AD Emperor Diocletian's policies led to the neglect of agriculture in favour of renewed militarisation of the Po. He recruited his soldiers from the peasantry and declared Milan as his capital. Many of the measures designed to drain the area were abandoned, as were many Roman roads. But the ruins of the Roman buildings remained and urban settlements kept their original location, an important factor during the great migrations. During the 5th century Ostiglia became the headquarters for a carrier service (dromonarii) supplying provisions to Verona, at the time the capital of the Gothic empire.
The town of Ostiglia with its 7,000 inhabitants was for many years the subject of a dispute between Mantua and Verona. Under the Treaty of Ostiglia of 1752 it became part of the province of Mantua. Verona, which had recognised the strategic importance of the small town, built a castle here in the 12th century, and the remains of it are still visible. The character of the town was changed during the 18th century by the construction of numerous fine town houses, evidence of Austrian domination, following rule from Mantua. Although the parish church was not built until the end of the 19th century, it boasts a priceless marble tabernacle, a piece by the Francesco di Simone Ferrucci (1486).
In the Palazzo Bonazzi, now the town hall, there is a well-preserved, early-Christian sarcophagus, while the 19th-century Palazzo Foglia now houses the archaeological museum. The collection here includes finds from the Early Stone Age (mostly from the burial ground at Vallona, 5th – 4th century BC) up to the 19th century. Among the exhibits are tools made from stone, artefacts in bronze and bone, Roman bricks with factory markings, crockery, coins, burial urns and glazed ceramic and majolica vases from the Renaissance.
A few kilometres from the town on the left bank of the Po, at the confluence of the River Tione, Tartaro and the Canal Bianco, is the Paludi di Ostiglia nature reserve, a marshy area also noted for the Valle del Busatello, an irrigation canal built in the 18th century. Downstream from Ostiglia in a sheltered bend in the river is the Isola Boschina nature reserve.