The Susa Valley (Val di Susa in Italian), is a beautiful alpine valley located west of Turin, leading up to the heights to the ski resorts of Bardonecchia and Sestriere near the French border. It passes through the town of Avigliana, which was the most important with its historic castle now in ruins, but also the pretty Susa and its Roman monuments, Claviere or Bussoleno.
It was crossed for centuries by military troops, starting with the Roman legions who were heading to Gaul, not to mention the Gallic bands. These constant passages thus marked its heritage, with testimonies from every era, as in its churches or castles. At the same time, it was also the route of the Via Francigena used by pilgrims. It is also a region suited to hiking.

It is the largest and most populated of the valleys in the region, where one can also enjoy beautiful walks and hikes with spectacular landscapes.

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What to see in the Susa Valley

Saint-Michel de la Cluse

The Saint-Michel de la Cluse Abbey (Sacra di San-Michele in Italian) is a symbol of the Susa Valley. It is one of the most beautiful sites in the valley, where the abbey was built more than a thousand years ago on a rocky outcrop. Its history-laden monastery was one of the most powerful.

Saint-Michel de la Cluse Abbey

Susa

A pretty town retaining Roman and medieval testimonies, such as the Arch of Augustus, the Roman Gate or the aqueduct. Susa was indeed an important town in the region, from the Celtic era of which testimonies remain, and then with the Romans who developed a fortified town there at the start of the Via Domitia leading to Gaul.

Susa

Novalesa Abbey

On the road to the Mont-Cenis pass, the small Val Cenise (Val Cenischia) is remarkable for its quietness and its waterfalls. Near the historic staging village of Novalesa, the beautiful Benedictine abbey was founded in the 8th century in a lovely spot with an open view of the rocky mountain walls. It is near a small wood with a charming bucolic waterfall. Guided tours allow you to discover its history or the beautiful frescoes of the chapel of San Eldrado.
It is close to the charming little village of Novalesa and another very high waterfall.

Novalesa and its Benedictine abbey

Fenestrelle Fort and Chisone Valley

In the Chisone Valley (Val Chisone) south of the Susa Valley, the gigantic Fenestrelle fortress was built in the 18th and 19th centuries, with its impressive 3 km-long wall barring the valley. Not far away is also the beautiful Fort Serre Marie.
A few kilometers away, Usseaux is a small village classified among “the most beautiful villages in Italy”, with its stone houses, its murals and its flowered streets. On the other side of the valley, Laux is a charming village with its pretty little lake.
The Orsiera Rocciavrè Park extends north of the valley, with alpine pastures and a small lake.

Avigliana

The town of Avigliana (Avigliana in Italian) which is dominated by the ruins of a once powerful castle, preserves streets and buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. It is notably known for its two lakes in a natural park or Alfred Nobel’s former dynamite factory which can be visited.

Exilles Fort

This fort in the Susa Valley is one of the oldest monuments and defensive systems in Piedmont, with origins from the 7th century AD, becoming a castle in the 14th, then rebuilt as a modern fortress in the 19th century of imposing dimensions.

Other places

San Gervasio Gorges and Tibetan Bridge

Close to the Montgenèvre pass, at Clavière, in the San Gervasio gorges flows the Dora stream. The site attracts for one of the longest Tibetan bridges in the world, over 470 meters, in three sections, between 30 and 40 meters in height. Its course is secured with harness, helmet and equipment included in the visit ticket (15 € for adults, 10 € for children). The site is open on weekends in June and September, and every day in July and August.
A beautiful path also leads to the gorges, with beautiful waterfalls.

Saint Anthony of Ranvers Abbey

Located between Rivoli and Avigliana, this Gothic abbey is located at the entrance of the Val di Susa, with the church, the monastery and its cloister, or the hospital of which only the façade remains. Founded in the 12th century, it preserves frescoes by Giacomo Jaquerio, considered one of the masterpieces of the Piedmontese late Gothic school, from the 1420s.

Gran Pertus and Quattro Denti summit

At the foot of the Somelier glacier chain and the Ferrand peak, on the Exilles mountain north of the Susa Valley, is a curious tunnel serving as an aqueduct, the Gran Pertus, also called the Trou de Touilles, whose history deserves to be known.
Located between 2020 and 2050 meters in altitude, this tunnel was dug by a single man in the 16th century, over 433 meters in length. It is still in use and one can walk through it preferably in autumn when the water flow is limited, equipped with a torch and good boots.

It was the miner Colomban Romean, a native of Chiomonte, who dug it between 1526 and 1533, having learned the technique from his youth in France, to bring to this part of the Susa Valley the waters of the neighboring Val Clarea. Originally he proposed to the inhabitants who regularly lacked water to carry out this titanic task in exchange for food and tools and a reward of 1600 florins upon completion. Legend tells that it was his dog that brought him fresh food by going to the village, located hours of walking from the worksite.

The path then joins near the summit of Quatro Denti with its beautiful view over the Susa valley and the peaks at the border with France. One can start for example from the small stone hamlet Grange della Valle.

Bramafam Fort

The Bramafam Fort at Bardonecchia is a fort from the First and Second World Wars, well preserved and restored, where one can visit different parts such as the kitchens, the armory or the dormitories, with period elements that bring the place to life such as newspaper clippings or soldiers’ letters.

Vaye Prehistory Museum-Workshop

At Vaye, the museum-workshop is dedicated to the prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology of the Susa Valley, including ancient techniques. A walk in the woods allows you to discover several reconstructed sites, passing by the promontory of San Pancrazio, to arrive at the museum-workshop whose workshops cover stone working, bronze, or the making of objects such as jewelry.

Montebenedetto Charterhouse

In the heart of nature, at the foot of the woods and peaks of the Orsiera-Rocciavrè Natural Park which separates the Susa and Chisone valleys, this former charterhouse recently restored was founded at the end of the 13th century.

Chaumont

The small village of Chaumont (Chiomonte in Italian), known for its ice wine production, has a picture gallery that preserves the artworks of Giuseppe Augusto Levis, an artist and diplomat native to here.
There is also the Saint Andrew chapel built in 1371 and adorned with beautiful frescoes.

Other photos and places in the Susa Valley

Sources and information

• Tourist portals: www.valdisusaturismo.it, visitvaldisusa.it