Aosta, Italy

Remember the weather forecast at the start of the day? In spite of forecasting rain almost every hour of the day, I didn't have a single drop. I am so lucky!

Aosta is my only stop in Italy on this trip. It's a fascinating city that was founded by, who else, the Romans. I deviated from the preprogrammed GPS route to find a Post office. The first two were closed. The first one was closed for a union meeting the second one was simply not open on Wednesday afternoons. After getting my stamp at the third post office, I set the GPS to go directly to the hotel, that was a mistake.

The GPS database does not adequately know which streets are closed for pedestrian traffic. I followed it blindly down an alley which got narrower and narrower and finally emptied out into a street filled with pedestrians and shops. I got some dirty looks and I knew I was in the wrong place. I guess I didn't notice the little sign, a red circle with a white interior, that indicated the street was not for vehicles. It's possible I might get a ticket in the mail.

After checking into a very nice hotel, I walked out in the street to learn a little something about Aosta. There is a well-preserved Roman bridge and section of the city walls with the Praetorian portals. I walked over the bridge and imagined legionnaires matching where I walked. After buying a gelato, I walked around for a couple hours before going to dinner.Read more