Kaiseraugst, Switzerland

Called Augusta Raurica in ancient Roman times, this city was named after Augustus Caesar. Like Avenches and Brugg, it was the largest city located along the trading route between the Italian peninsula and Alemannia via the Swiss alps.

It has one of the most varied (not most well-preserved) variety of Roman architecture in Switzerland. There is an amphitheatre that seated 12,000, bath, workhouse, defensive wall, city council building, and a subterranean well house that you can enter.

Of course, the tour starts at the Augusta Raurica Museum where you can see different artefacts of Roman life. The exhibits starts with information on the upbringing of children in Ancient Rome – a subject not well-understood by historians as there are few written accounts on it. Then the back of the museum houses the largest silver treasure from Late A antiquity with 58kg of the shiny stuff. I was really impressed with the near-mint condition of the coin collection thanks to being buried underground.

The outdoor area of the museum is actually a reconstruction of a villa of a wealthy family. The courtyard, bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, are all faithfully recreated with elements of original subterranean structures and surface mosaics that are original. Many of the decorations and furnishings are products of genuine archeological digs. I’ve never had the privilege of walking on an actual Roman mosaic until I visited this museum.

A huge temple once existed on the top of the hill opposite the amphitheatre. The only remaining parts of the temple today are the foundations of the shrine, supporting walls, and the giant steps that led up to its courtyard. The steps are so huge that the museum had to place half-steps on it to help visitors mount the ruin.

Due to the hilly local terrain, many of the buildings that survived had underground levels. For example, both the workshop and the well house are remarkably well-preserved for its age due to them being partially or completely subterranean. The seat of the city council did not fare so well as only the masonry of the benches for councillors and the podium for the two mayors still stand today.