Periodically in the spotlight due to the construction of the high-speed rail line between Turin and Lyon, this valley is a treasure chest of history, Alpine culture and breathtaking routes. Here is what we think you shouldn't miss and what deserves to be talked about.
Attention on the Susa Valley has been very high for some years: arguments and clashes arise in defence of opposing views that nonetheless place the territory at their centre — or at least that is how it should be. The perception is that, between ideologies and political pressures, this region, its culture and its people have been pushed into the background.
We like to tell you what this valley has to offer, from many points of view. To begin with, you simply cannot miss the Sacra di San Michele: you don't need to be religious to appreciate this monumental architectural complex set on Monte Pirchiriano, at the entrance to the Susa Valley, in the municipality of Sant'Ambrogio di Torino just above the hamlet of San Pietro. It is the symbol of Piedmont and one of the most eminent religious structures in this Alpine territory, a waypoint for pilgrims travelling between Italy and France.
To reach it, there are various routes: a via ferrata for the most fit and fearless, a mule track or a horse-riding route and other more manageable paths; for everyone, the view from the top is the same, and it is wonderful.
It is no coincidence that Umberto Eco was partly inspired by this abbey for the celebrated Il nome della rosa.
For lovers of flora and fauna, we are in an Alpine area home to more than 45 types of rare orchid among the 250 protected in Italy, and in one of the few places in the world where the dahu (perhaps) lives — a legendary four-legged mammal said to have asymmetric legs, with those on the right longer than those on the left (or vice versa), the better to move across steep mountain slopes.
To enjoy these natural wonders, the valley offers various excursions; one of the most famous follows the Sentiero Balcone, which winds through the Alta Valle di Susa, across the municipalities of Oulx, Bardonecchia, Sauze d'Oulx, Cesana Torinese, Claviere, Sauze di Cesana and Sestriere, tracing the mid-altitude slopes and passing through multiple types of natural environment, including larch woods, Scots pine forests and maple-ash woodland, up to Alpine pastures and, at times, Alpine scree.
Along the various stages you will find a great many mountain huts and inns where you can savour the typical products of the Susa Valley — from cheeses to sweets. Don't miss an indulgent stop, perhaps sipping Vino del Ghiaccio accompanied by Paste di Meliga and Losa Golosa.
In this land where the bond with the past and its history runs deep — as you travel through it you will notice, for instance, that Occitan and Franco-Provençal dialects are still widely spoken — it is therefore hard to imagine that modernity and its demands could in any way strip it of its defining character. Let us reflect on this, but above all, let us go and visit.