# Aosta in half a day, six meters under the street

> The megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corleans is dug six meters down inside a town of 33,124 people that runs its business in two languages.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/aosta/things-to-do
Last updated: 2026-09-03

The one thing in Aosta you cannot see anywhere else is the megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corleans, a prehistoric sanctuary dug six meters below the modern street and roofed by a museum since 2016.

## Six meters down, and about 10,000 square meters wide

The excavation at Saint-Martin-de-Corleans covers about 10,000 square meters and lies six meters under the road surface, inside the built-up town rather than out in a field. It was in use from the last centuries of the fifth millennium BC to the early Bronze Age, then again in Roman times and the Middle Ages.

What comes out of the ground is a sequence rather than a single monument: anthropomorphic stelae, ritual pits, alignments of wooden posts, dolmen and cist tombs. The museum opened on June 24, 2016, reopened in November 2023 and was renamed MegaMuseo in February 2025.

The building itself is a piece of engineering worth a look: 9,820 square meters with a free span of 46.5 meters, because nothing may rest on the dig.

## The hours and the price are not published

The MegaMuseo timetable and ticket price are not published on any page we could open and read. The regional heritage portal keeps them out of indexable text, so a visit that starts with a web search will not end with a number.

Call ahead or ask at the desk, and treat any price you find on a third party site as unverified. This page carries no admission figure for that reason.

## A Roman rectangle you can walk across

Aosta was founded in 25 BC as Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, and the Roman wall enclosed 414,128 square meters with four gates. That rectangle is still the shape of the old town, which is why the walk from one side to the other takes minutes rather than an afternoon.

The grid is the practical part. Set the megalithic area at one end of your half day and the walled center at the other, and you will not double back once.

## 33,124 people at 583 meters, in two languages

Aosta had 33,124 residents on May 31, 2026 and sits at 583 meters above sea level, which is low for the valley around it and high for a regional capital. Italian and French are both official, and the town carries two names, Aosta and Aoste.

The parity comes from the special statute of February 26, 1948, and it is parity, not minority protection. Read the street plates and the notices in public offices as bilingual by law rather than by decoration. Wider picture in [Valle d'Aosta](/regions/valle-d-aosta) and in [the town page](/towns/aosta).

## FAQ

### What is the MegaMuseo in Aosta?

The museum built over the megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corleans, a prehistoric sanctuary dug six meters below street level. It opened on June 24, 2016, reopened in November 2023 and took the MegaMuseo name in February 2025. The hall itself spans 46.5 meters without a pillar.

### How long do you need for the old town of Aosta?

Half a day covers it on foot. The Roman walls enclose 414,128 square meters, which is a rectangle you can cross in a few minutes, and the whole town holds 33,124 people. The megalithic area is the one stop outside that rectangle.

### Are the opening hours and ticket prices of the MegaMuseo published online?

No. The heritage portal for Valle d'Aosta does not list the timetable or the price in indexable text, so check by phone or at the ticket desk. Everything else on this page comes from a source we opened and read.

### Is French really used in Aosta or is it just on the signs?

It is an official language, not a courtesy. The special statute of February 26, 1948 puts French on a par with Italian across the region, and the town carries two names, Aosta and Aoste. Expect both on street plates and public documents.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'area megalitica di Saint-Martin-de-Corleans, dentro Aosta, e' un santuario preistorico di circa 10.000 metri quadrati scavato sei metri sotto il livello stradale: e' stato frequentato dagli ultimi secoli del V millennio a.C. all'eta' del Bronzo, il museo e' stato inaugurato il 24 giugno 2016 ed e' stato riaperto nel novembre 2023, assumendo il nome MegaMuseo nel febbraio 2025 | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_megalitica_di_Saint-Martin-de-Corl%C3%A9ans) | medium | 2029-12-31 |
| Aosta nasce nel 25 a.C. come Augusta Praetoria Salassorum: la cinta muraria romana racchiudeva 414.128 metri quadrati con quattro porte, e la citta' conserva il maggior numero di resti romani ancora visibili in Italia dopo Roma | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aosta) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Aosta ha 33.124 abitanti al 31 maggio 2026 e sorge a 583 metri di quota; italiano e francese sono entrambi lingue ufficiali e la citta' ha doppia denominazione, Aosta e Aoste | [Wikipedia (dati ISTAT)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aosta) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| La Valle d'Aosta ha statuto speciale dal 26 febbraio 1948 e il francese e' parificato all'italiano come lingua ufficiale della regione | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_d%27Aosta) | medium | 2099-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.aosta.1600.jpg
Author: Krzysztof Golik. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Town_hall_of_Aosta_(1).jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/aosta/cosa-fare.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/aosta/que-hacer.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/aosta/que-faire.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/aosta/aktivitaeten.md