Aoste (; ) is a commune in the

Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.

department in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

region of southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Aoste is located some 15 km east of

La Tour-du-Pin La Tour-du-Pin (; ) is a subprefecture of the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. Geography The Bourbre flows west through the southern part of the commune and crosses the town. The town's lowest poin ...

and 8 km north-east of Les Abrets. Access is by the D1516 road from La Batie-Montgascon in the west passing through the village and continuing north-east to Champagneux. The D82F also runs off this road just west of the village and goes north-west to Corbelin. The D40 road from Les Avenieres in the north passes down the eastern side of the commune and continues to Romagnieu. The D592 branches off the D40 on the northern border and goes south to the village continuing to Chimilin in the south. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of Saint-Didier in the north at the intersection of the D592 and the D40, and Les Champagnes in the east which is really an extension of the urban area of Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers across the border. The rest of the commune is entirely farmland except for the large industrial complex of ''Jambon d'Aoste'' north of the village. The eastern border of the commune is formed by the Guiers river which flows north to join the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

which forms the north-eastern border of the commune. The Rhône is the border between

and Ain departments while the Guiers is the border between Isère and

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...

departments. The Bièvre river also flows through the west of the commune from the south forming the northern border before joining the Rhone. Numerous other small waterways join the Bièvre.Google Maps
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Neighbouring communes and villages

History

Aoste was a ''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

'' at a crossroad of

Roman roads Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

to Italy, to Germania, and to the

Roman colonies Colonies in antiquity were post-Iron Age city-states founded from a mother-city or metropolis rather than from a territory-at-large. Bonds between a colony and its metropolis often remained close, and took specific forms during the period of clas ...

Lugdunum Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Colonia (Roman), Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon, France, Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but cont ...

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Its name appears on the

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, Latin for 'The Peutinger Map'), also known as Peutinger's Tabula, Peutinger tablesJames Strong (theologian) , James Strong and John McClintock (theologian) , John McClintock (1880)"Eleutheropolis" In: ''The Cyclopedia of Bibli ...

as ''Augustum''. In 2006 archaeological excavations unearthed a pottery workshop dating from the late Middle Ages.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors ;

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

from 1935

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aostiens'' or ''Aostiennes'', alternatively ''Dutards'' or ''Dutardes'' in French.

Economy

Jambon Aoste

The pork products produced in Isère department and especially the ''Jambon Aoste'' (Aoste Ham) are manufactured exclusively in this Groupe Aoste factory which was owned by the industrial group

Sara Lee Corporation The Sara Lee Corporation was an American consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois. The Sara Lee name was used of a number of frozen and packaged foods, often known for the long-running slogan "Everybody doesn't like something, b ...

who ceased their activities in deli products and resold the operation to the American buyer

Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter and his son, the company is the largest pig and pork producer in ...

through which it passed to the Chinese group Shuanghui in September 2013. These industrial products with the "Jambon Aoste" label should not be confused with the official name " Vallée d'Aoste Jambon de Bosses" which is a ham produced in the

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

(An Italian/French Valley) and which has a

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

. The Ham products produced in Isère have a simple

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

and no Label Rouge, AOC or PDO regulates its production of cooked or raw ham, unlike the Italian Aosta ham which is a vintage handmade product made in very small quantities.

Sites and Monuments

*An Ancient Roman settlement with an oven and many relics and an archaeological museum. *The School contains three items which are registered as historical objects: **A Domestic Oratory (

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

) **An

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

(Gallo-Roman) **2 Commemorative Plaques (Gallo-Roman) *The Chapel of Saint-Didier contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **A

Thurible A thurible (via Old French from -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... from incense burner suspended from chains, in which incense">Medieval Latin ) i ...

(18th century) **A Processional Cross (16th century) **6

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian example ...

Commemorative Plaques (Gallo-Roman) **3 Funeral Plaques (Middle Ages)

Protected Natural Areas

The commune has two natural zones of ecological interest, fauna and flora of type I:Communal data portal
, Regional Directorate of the Environment, Planning, and Housing *the alluvial areas of the Rhône du Pont de Groslée à Murs-et-Gélignieux *the Pools of Paluette