In this section, the route of the Via Francigena coincides exactly with the ancient Via delle Gallie. What makes it particularly suggestive is the presence, still clearly visible, of the large stones that made up the original paving. On them you can see the grooves dug into the stone by the continuous passage of the wheels of the carts, which traveled on this ancient Roman road for centuries.
The consular road called "delle Gallie" was the first public work that the Romans built in the Aosta Valley, replacing the primitive paths that led beyond the Alps. This important road artery, which crossed the Aosta Valley territory, forking at the height of Aosta, constituted an indispensable infrastructure for military and political expansion, and responded to the need for efficient and rapid connections with Gaul and Germany. It was precisely the position of Augusta Prætoria (Aosta), located in an area of forced transit, at the convergence of two important routes - the road that led to the Little St. Bernard Pass (Alpis Graia) and the one for the Great St. Bernard Pass (Alpis Pœnina) - that determined its logistical and strategic importance.
The Via delle Gallie certainly influenced the settlement structure of the Aosta Valley territory, which was mainly organized along the road axis; on the ancient route, in fact, there were the main valley bottom centers and the infrastructures assigned to specific itinerary functions: the mutationes (stations for changing pack animals) and the mansiones (buildings equipped for prolonged stops and shelter for men and animals). Furthermore, a whole series of localities clearly show their Roman origins and their connection with the road system: Quart (ad quartumlapidem), Chétoz (ad sextum), Nus (ad nonum) and Diemoz (ad decimum), recall in their toponym the distance in miles from Aosta.