Pont-Saint-Martin (Pon Sèn Marteun in Aosta Valley patois; Pont
San Martìn in Piedmontese; Martinstäg in Walser), is an Italian town
of 3,730 inhabitants in the southeastern Aosta Valley. Located at
the entrance to the Valle d'Aosta, at the base of the Lys valley, it
preserves the remains of the ancient Roman road to the Gauls called
via delle Gallie. Pont-Saint-Martin is a stage on the Via
Francigena, coming from the Great San Bernardo hill, before entering
Piedmont and heading through the vineyards towards Carema.
Crossed by the Dora Baltea, it rises in the extreme eastern part of
the Donnas plaine and is 40 km from Aosta. The municipal area
includes an urbanized part, located between 300 and 400 meters above
sea level on the dejection fan created by the mouth of the Lys
stream in the main furrow of the Aosta Valley, and a mountainous
area that extends eastwards and where it touches the maximum
altitude with Bec di Nona (2085 m).
The church of Fontaney, seat of the parish
until 1899;
Baraing Castle, belonging to the powerful family of
the same name;
The ruins of the Castle of Pont-Saint-Martin also
known as Château vieux or Castellaccio, located on a promontory, at
the end of the village.
The stronghold of Pont-Saint-Martin, also
known as' l Castel: it is located south of the parish church and was
the farm that served the castle on the promontory and which was
transformed into a stronghold when the lords of Pont-Saint-Martin
abandoned the Château vieux, possibly around the 16th century. After
a restoration financed by the municipality and with the Fospi fund
of the Valle d'Aosta Region, it was reopened to the public on 15
September 2012.
Suzey Castle, above Ivéry.
The Casaforte della
Rivoire, near via Émile Chanoux, from the 16th century; takes its
name from the locality of the same name, in Latin Roveriae
The Pont Saint-Martin
The town takes its name from the mighty
Roman bridge dedicated to San Martino di Tours, which crosses the
Lys stream. Built in the 1st century BC, over the course of almost
2,000 years it allowed the passage from the Eporedia region (today's
Ivrea) to the Aosta Valley. The bridge is 31m long and 23m high. It
was used until the 19th century, then a modern bridge was built.
Libraries
The municipal library is located in Via Resistenza 5.
Museums
Museum of the Pont Saint-Martin: the small museum of the
Roman bridge has been set up near the bridge, in a small exhibition room
accessible from a staircase under Piazza IV Novembre.
Events
The historical carnival of Pont-Saint-Martin
In the carnival of
Pont-Saint-Martin [18], the main characters are represented by the
devil, by San Martino, by the nymph of Lys with her two maids, by the
Romans and by the Salassi.
There is also the parade of the
traditional costumes of the eight insulæ, the historic districts of the
village, with their names in Latin:
Fundus Tauri
Insula Vernae
Insula Leonis
Plataea Primus Maius
Insula Pontis Romani
vicus
colubris
Insula Saint-Roch
Insula Lys
Then the chariot race
takes place, one for each insula.
Carnival ends on "mardi gras"
when a puppet of the devil is burned by the Roman bridge over the Lys,
in remembrance of the legend (see above).
From Pont-Saint-Martin, in Roman times, passed the Via
delle Gallie, a Roman consular road built by Augustus to connect the
Po Valley with Gaul. An obligatory passage along the Via delle
Gallie and subsequently along the Via Francigena, Pont-Saint-Martin
in 575 found itself on the border of the kingdom of the Franks.
In the Middle Ages it was administered by the local lordship,
the Lords of Bard, who in 1200 had the castle of Pont-Saint-Martin
built, which still dominates the town. During the Second World War,
in 1944, the town was devastated by a bombing, but the Roman bridge
resisted.
In the Fascist era, the municipality included that
of Perloz and assumed the Italianized name of Ponte San Martino.
According to legend, San Martino, passing through
the Via Francigena on a pilgrimage, made a pact with the devil. He
undertook to build a bridge overnight, in exchange for the soul of
the first living being that would pass through it. The next day, San
Martino released a little dog on the bridge, which was brutally
killed. In return, the devil left the inhabitants alone.
This
legend is part of the rich repertoire of the Lys valley, and is
revived every year in the historic carnival.
Bois-dessous, Bois de Chavanne, Boschetto, Bousc Daré, Champ da Las, Chapret, Château, Chopon, Colombera, Corney, Diana, Fabiole, Fontaney, Ivéry, Liscoz, Magnin, Nadir, Nazareth, Perruchon, Ronc, Ronc-Grangia , Ronches, Saint-Roch, Sarus, Schigliatta, Stigliano, Suzey, Thuet, Valeille, Vietti, Vignollet.
As in many Aosta Valley municipalities, hydroelectric energy is also produced in the municipality of Pont-Saint-Martin. The plant of the same name, managed by the CVA, exploits the waters of the Pacoulla, Bouro, Giassit, Verouy and Rechanter (or Rechantez) streams.
Railways
The town has its own railway station a few hundred meters
from the centre, with a green pedestrian area next to it.
The station
is located on the Aosta-Chivasso railway.
The Pont-Saint-Martin -
Gressoney railway was a railway project that was to connect
Pont-Saint-Martin to the upper Lys Valley.
Soccer
Since 2013, Pont-Saint-Martin has been represented in
football by the supra-municipal company Pont Donnaz Hône Arnad Évançon
(signed PDHAE), which took over the legacy of the previous U.S.D.
Pont-Donnaz, never going beyond the regional divisions. Resulting from
the progressive merger of three clubs, in the years 2010-2020 the
P.D.H.A.E. he established himself at the top of Aosta Valley football,
winning participation in Serie D as his greatest success. His home field
is the municipal stadium of Montjovet; the company also uses the sports
field of Pont-Saint Martin.
Volleyball
The Pont-Saint-Martin
Volley Team, the women's team, plays in Pont-Saint-Martin.