Advice on what to visit in the Susa Valley and its surroundings?

The Fort of Exilles, in the same municipality in the province of Turin, is one of the most important defensive systems of Piedmont, along with the fortified complex of Fenestrelle and that of Vinadio. It was used alternatively by both the Savoy and the French. Its location at the center of a bottleneck of the High Susa Valley, in fact, made it a threat to both the armies coming down from the high valley and for those that went up from the bottom of the valley.

For more information visit: www.exillesilforte.it

Symbol monument of Piedmont Region and place that inspired the writer Umberto Eco for his best-seller The Name of the Rose, the Sacra di San Michele/San Michele Abbey is an ancient abbey built between 983 and 987 on the top of Mount Pirchiriano, 40 km from Turin. From its towers you can admire the capital of Piedmont and you have a wonderful view of the Susa Valley. Inside the main Church of the Sacra, dating from the twelfth century, are buried members of the royal family of Savoy.

For more information visit:  www.sacradisanmichele.com

It has been considered for ages as a crossroads of the different transalpine routes between Italy and France and it is marked by many important Roman and medieval monuments. It is located at the center of the Susa Valley and it is part of the Mountain Community Susa Valley and Sangone Valley. In ancient times it was the capital of the Kingdom of Cottians, the starting point of the Via Domitia and Via Cozia and the stopping place for the Itinerarium Burdigalense and the Via Francigena.

For more information visit: www.visitasusa.it

The Natural Park of the Avigliana Lakes, established in 1980, is located at the mouth of the Susa Valley, at the foot of Mount Pirchiriano on which rises up the ancient abbey of the Sacra di San Michele, in a characteristic area of the morainic amphitheater of Rivoli-Avigliana, which is just over 20 kilometers from Turin.

It is the ideal setting for family walks.

For more information visit: www.turismoavigliana.it

The colle del Moncenisio (Mont Cenis Pass) is a mountain pass in the Cottian Alps between France and Italy that unites the Susa Valley, in the metropolitan city of Turin, with the region of the high Maurienne, included in the French department of Savoy. This territory was historically of Savoy, before the annexation of the Duchy of Savoy to France in 1860, but it has always been disputed first by the powerful Abbey of Novalesa and then by the Diocese of Turin and Susa, as well as from the village of Ferrera Cenisio for the pass control and the exploitation of forests and pastures. The Pass gives its name to the Highway 25 of the Mont Cenis.

Briançon is a French town of 12,054 inhabitants, located in the Haute-Alpes region, headquarters of the sub-prefecture. It was known in Roman times as Brigantio.

In the Middle Ages it was the capital of the Republic of Escartons.

Briançon lies at the foot of the descent from the Pass of Montgenèvre, giving access to Turin, then a large number of fortifications was built on the surrounding hills, especially towards the east.

Its fortifications, works by Vauban, (city walls, Salettes castles, Tre Teste, of the Randouillet and the bridge of Asfeld) are inscribed on the List of World Heritage by UNESCO since July 7, 2008.