Saint Lawrence and the devil's pact
📅 Every year, on 10 August
On 10 August Pont-Saint-Martin celebrates Saint Lawrence; but the town carries in its name the legend of the Roman bridge, built in one night by the devil in exchange for a soul.
The Roman bridge that gave the town its name has cleared the Lys in a single 31-metre span for over two thousand years, standing 23 metres above the water and carrying traffic until the nineteenth century. Legend credits it to a bargain between Saint Martin and the devil; every Shrove Tuesday the historic carnival ends with an effigy of the devil burned from the parapet, after chariot races between the eight insulae.
Above the houses lie the ruins of the castle raised by the lords of Bard around 1200. On 23 August 1944 an American air raid destroyed 42% of the built-up area, remembered today in a museum inside the 'l Castel fortified house. The 4,005 residents guard the mouth of the valley, a stage on the Via Francigena into Piedmont.
castello di Pont-Saint-Martin · Pont Saint-Martin · Castello di Suzey and 1 more
24 places to stay · top rated: Mansio 1695 Chambres d'hôtes 10.0 · Bed and Breakfast Soffio di Vento 9.8
Next up: Saint Lawrence and the devil's pact, Tuesday 10 August
Nearest airport: Torino Caselle, 46 km away
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📅 Every year, on 10 August
On 10 August Pont-Saint-Martin celebrates Saint Lawrence; but the town carries in its name the legend of the Roman bridge, built in one night by the devil in exchange for a soul.
castello di Pont-Saint-Martin The old castle, with its rare hexagonal keep, half an hour up through the vineyards above the town.
Pont Saint-Martin Two thousand years of traffic on a single span: the boldest flat arch left from Roman times.
Castello di Suzey A ruin above Ivéry: in 1351 the Vallaise held an Ivrea merchant prisoner here for ransom.
Riserva naturale stagno di Holay A hectare and a half of wetland at 750 metres, with relict species rare in the Aosta Valley. Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Pont-Saint-Martin, but an easy day trip away.