In Rom, Gallo-Roman history and the surrounding landscape go hand in hand. The Musée de Rauranum presents the ancient town and the lives of its inhabitants through the remains most recently uncovered. Archaeological finds and routes with a variety of cultural and landscape themes offer further insights. You can plan your trip according to whether you are most interested in the history of Rauranum or the variety of routes.

Rauranum: Town and Transport in Antiquity

Rauranum was a staging town on the Roman road between Poitiers and Saintes. This places the settlement on a historic connection between two cities and gives its history a link to transport. The Musée de Rauranum offers a complementary focus: it presents the Gallo-Roman town and the lives of its inhabitants through the remains most recently uncovered. Two perspectives sit side by side: Rauranum’s role as a staging town and life within the settlement. If you are interested in the Roman past, this shift in perspective offers a thread from the road to people’s everyday lives.

Archaeological Finds at the Church Site

An excavation at the church site in Rom uncovered burials at three levels. The necropolis of Rom included sarcophagi, dry-stone cist graves and inhumations. The different types of graves and their levels add a distinct archaeological focus to the picture of the settlement: how the dead were treated. The Gallo-Roman history can therefore be explored not only through the function of a staging town, but also through burial practices. These finds differ thematically from the focus on the road and its inhabitants, broadening the historical perspective on Rom.

Heritage and Landscape

The Rauranum route in Rom takes in the English 1st SAS memorial and Gallo-Roman archaeological sites. It also passes through the Charentour valley. The route therefore brings together different historical themes and a connection to the landscape. Parc des Boissières is a wooded area dominated by cedars. This specific feature of its vegetation adds another aspect of the landscape to the cultural themes.

Two Routes, Different Ways to Explore

The Terra Aventura route “Tous les chemins mènent à Rom” is 2.5 km long. This distance provides a specific point of reference for planning. The Rauranum route, by contrast, can be characterised by its named heritage sites and its course through the Charentour valley. The two routes therefore have different emphases: Terra Aventura has a specified distance, while Rauranum focuses on cultural and landscape connections. Check the latest route details before setting out, as they may change.

If you are looking for a hotel in Rom, this distinction may help with your planning: consider whether the history of Rauranum or the combination of heritage and landscape will shape your stay more.

Discover more destinations: Sainte-Gemme, Pressigny, Bessines, Combrand, Saint-Aubin-Du-Plain, Oiron, Cherveux, Saivres.

For the main travel guide: Deux-Sèvres.