The Susa Valley (Italian: Val di Susa; Piedmontese: Valsusa; French: Val de Suse; Occitan: Val d'Ors) is a valley in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the south. It is one of the longest valleys of the Italian Alps. It extends over 50 kilometres (31 mi) in an east-west direction from the French border to the outskirts of Turin. The valley takes its name from the city of Susa which lies in the valley. The Dora Riparia river, a tributary of the Po, flows through the valley.
During the Roman age, Augustus formed an alliance with the Segusini of Cottii Regnum to link Italy and France by building a road through the Valley and over the Col de Montgenèvre (Passo del Monginevro), now 2 km away from the Italian border.
During the Middle Ages, the road was called Via Francigena, and pilgrims arriving from France passed through Mont Cenis and the Susa Valley on their way to Rome. It was one of the most used Alpine passes from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century. Several abbeys were built to accommodate pilgrims, such as Novalesa Abbey founded in 726AD on the foot of a mountain and the monumental Sacra di San Michele abbey.
Susa Valley in access to Italy from France
Main sights
Saint Michael's Abbey and the Alps of Susa Valley.
Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael's Abbey), established in the 11th century on the top of Pirchiriano Mountain, at the valley's entrance from Turin.
