Randonnée La porte Romaine de Bons
The Porte de Bons is a vestige of the Roman road that crossed the Oisans. Easily accessible from the hamlet of Bons, this testimony to the past is located below a slightly steep path.
The hamlet of Bons offers a panoramic view of the Ferrand valley, the sunny slope of Auris and the Sarenne glacier dominated by the Pic BlancThen a path mountain huted by a cool deciduous forest will lead you to the “Roman Gate”.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Departure: Village of Bons
Elevation: -60m
Duration: 45 min
Distance: 800m
ROUTE
The start of this walk is from the village of Bons below the resort (access in 10 minutes by car). You can park at the entrance to the village in the car park located at the fire station. Go down to the chapel: the start for the Roman Gate is then very well signposted. You then take a small stony path that descends in bends to the old Roman gate, evidence of the very probable passage at this place of the Roman Road of Oisans, which would have been built under the reign of the Emperor Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD).
TO SEE ON THE COURSE
– The “Roman Gate”, a monumental arch carved into the rock, arouses great interest today from a historical and archaeological point of view. Numerous researches now lead to the near certainty that the “Roman road” that linked Turin to Grenoble did indeed pass through there.
TO SEE NEARBY
– In Mont de Lans: Chasal Lento museum
– In Les 2 Alpes: the international resort of Les 2 Alpes is accessible free of charge by chairlift from Mont de Lans in the summer and winter seasons.
– The Buissonnière lake
TO KNOW
This monumental half-arch is now listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments and is awaiting classification. The heritage of Oisans preserves evidence of human activities from the earliest times, since the Bronze Age, copper was mined in the Grandes Rousses massif. Over time, the remains multiplied. In Roman times, it was the Oisans Roman Road, sections of which can be seen in Rochetaillée and Bons. In the Middle Ages, it was the village of Brandes, whose inhabitants mined silver. In the modern period, many chapels, oratories, wash houses, fountains, ovens and sundials were built in the villages. It was also the mining of coal at Herpie, silver at Chalanches and gold at Gardette. The construction of hydroelectric power stations in the Livet-Gavet valley gave rise to remarkable industrial architecture, as demonstrated by the Vernes power station.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Departure: Village of Bons
Elevation: -60m
Duration: 45 min
Distance: 800m
ROUTE
The start of this walk is from the village of Bons below the resort (access in 10 minutes by car). You can park at the entrance to the village in the car park located at the fire station. Go down to the chapel: the start for the Roman Gate is then very well signposted. You then take a small stony path that descends in bends to the old Roman gate, evidence of the very probable passage at this place of the Roman Road of Oisans, which would have been built under the reign of the Emperor Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD).
TO SEE ON THE COURSE
– The “Roman Gate”, a monumental arch carved into the rock, arouses great interest today from a historical and archaeological point of view. Numerous researches now lead to the near certainty that the “Roman road” that linked Turin to Grenoble did indeed pass through there.
TO SEE NEARBY
– In Mont de Lans: Chasal Lento museum
– In Les 2 Alpes: the international resort of Les 2 Alpes is accessible free of charge by chairlift from Mont de Lans in the summer and winter seasons.
– The Buissonnière lake
TO KNOW
This monumental half-arch is now listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments and is awaiting classification. The heritage of Oisans preserves evidence of human activities from the earliest times, since the Bronze Age, copper was mined in the Grandes Rousses massif. Over time, the remains multiplied. In Roman times, it was the Oisans Roman Road, sections of which can be seen in Rochetaillée and Bons. In the Middle Ages, it was the village of Brandes, whose inhabitants mined silver. In the modern period, many chapels, oratories, wash houses, fountains, ovens and sundials were built in the villages. It was also the mining of coal at Herpie, silver at Chalanches and gold at Gardette. The construction of hydroelectric power stations in the Livet-Gavet valley gave rise to remarkable industrial architecture, as demonstrated by the Vernes power station.
