Lake
Lacum Losonne
Lausanne
Listen to the story
Lacum Losonne marks Lousonna, the Roman harbour town at Vidy, just below today's Lausanne on Lake Geneva; the name was first a water name, formed like that of the Saône. The town had a forum, a basilica, a temple, quays and warehouses, and goods changed hands here on the long roads from the Great Saint Bernard to the Rhône and from Avenches to the Rhine. On the map this is also where the reckoning changes: up to here distances are counted in Gallic leagues, from here on in Roman miles.