Almost 2000 years ago, the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo was a place of great passage along the busy road that led to Gaul. To give hospitality to merchants, soldiers, and wayfarers on the road, a large Mansio was built, a stopping point considered among the largest and most important of the time, as well as the highest.
Today, only the perimeter of the foundation remains of this imposing construction, which makes it clear how the complex was laid out: there were 12 cells for travellers, stables for horses and mules, courtyards and common areas, warehouses, a temple dedicated to the god Jupiter.
There were two entrances: one to the south-east that corresponded to the back of the building and one to the north-west that overlooked the Via delle Gallie, separated by another building across the road that served as a warehouse for goods and duties.
The roof of the Mansio was initially made of simple bundles of straw obtained from the remains of mown meadows and wheat fields (at that time the climate was milder and it was possible to cultivate at high altitude and move around all year round) and later of slate slabs, obtained from a local quarry, located just beyond the natural watershed that descends towards the Tarentaise.