Explore the Ponte di Bard and its fascinating history

The Ponte di Bard is one of the most photogenic spots in the lower Aosta Valley. Even if you're not an engineer, you'll really appreciate it.

I went there specifically at the end of a nice hike to take photos for Instagram, just like many others do 😄

The first documented reference to the bridge dates back to 1272. In the State Archives of Turin, there are mentions of "taxes collected" on the pontis bardi, showing it was a strategic and controlled passage even then. In later centuries, it appears again in documents, with mentions from 1343 to 1469. There was a complicated period between 1592 and 1596 when a flood seriously tested its stability.

Like many structures that last so long, the bridge has had a life full of repairs and modifications. In 1763, it was so unstable that a major renovation was needed, which happened in 1787. Even in more recent times, it underwent reinforcement in the 1990s.

Reaching it after a walk in the area feels different, especially if the bridge is the final piece of a route designed for those who love hiking.

I got there by following a circular path that crosses some of the great trails of the Aosta Valley: a section of the Alta Via n. 1, the Via Francigena, and the Cammino Balteo, between stage 4 "Donnas - Arnad" and stage 23 "Pontboset - Pont-Saint-Martin".

You start in Donnas, leaving your car near the Roman road. After crossing the medieval village, take the path marked with yellow number 7 towards Albard. It's the same path used by the Cammino Balteo. At first, you follow the Bellet stream along the main road. After crossing the first bridge, the path veers off into amazing terraced vineyards.

When you reach Prèle, marked by a chapel on the right, the path gets steeper. You need to climb the walls overlooking the plain. These are popular with climbers at the Climbing Park Balteo. It's great to see, but if you're not fit, maybe skip it.

In about half an hour, you reach the paved road leading to Albard. This is a hamlet with old stone and wood houses. From here, the landscape changes: ancient chestnut groves, once vital for local food, and a feeling of a valley frozen in time. Continuing on the road, you descend through villages.

The descent leads to the central valley and soon to a steep path directly to Bard, at the fortress's base. Pilgrims of the Via Francigena once passed here. Now, athletes of the Tor des Géants do too, linking very different centuries.

Only at this point does the Ponte di Bard truly appear. The bridge is wedged in the gorge, squeezed between rock walls, with the massive fortress looming above. It's that sudden impact -- the void below, the stone above, the fortress seemingly falling on you -- that leaves everyone speechless. And that's why, more than the bridge itself, it's the whole scene that amazes first-time visitors.

My wife says you didn't need the trek for great photos, but it's a matter of taste 😎. I made it up to her with a nice dinner in Bard.