Le Pont d’Aël, or Pondel, is part of the the Valle d’Aosta’s Roman heritage, which you will visit on the Heart of the Italian Alps self-guided walk. We say ‘visit’ – but in fact, it’s compulsory, because the trail goes right over it!
Privately constructed in the third century BC by a certain Caius Avillius Caimus of Padova, it spans the canyon of the Grande Eyvia, and carried water to the iron ore mines above Aymavilles in the central Aosta Valley. These days the walking trail (openly accessible) traverses the top floor, which once carried the water.
You can buy a ticket to access the enclosed lower floor… in this, nothing has changed since it was first constructed! What a treat to be able to touch Augustinian architecture and to continue the 2200-year-old intended use of this dramatic structure.