Culture and Nature routes in the Alps Valle di Susa A special thank to the Fondazione Magnetto who gave his generous contribution to the printing of this guide Texts Comitato di coordinamento progetto “Valle di Susa. Tesori di Arte e Cultura Alpina” www.vallesusa-tesori.it Editorial coordination Eleonora Girodo e Andrea Zonato Photographic credits Comunità Montana Valle di Susa e Val Sangone Centro Culturale Diocesano ATL Turismo Torino e Provincia Parco Naturale Orsiera Rocciavré Parco Naturale del Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Comune di Bardonecchia Comune di Bussoleno Comune di Chianocco Comune di Chiusa San Michele Comune di Condove Comune di Moncenisio Comune di San Giorio di Susa Comune di Oulx Comune di Venaus “FERALP” Team Gruppo fotografico L’Idea Cristiana Aletto Claudio Allais Remo Caffaro Luca Giai Sergio Gioberto - Marilena Noro Luca Giunti Davide Lupino Gianluca Popolla Massimo Sebastiani Marcello Striano Laura Verdoia All rights reserved Second edition October 2010 Design, Layout and Print Graffio s.n.c. via Abegg 43 - Borgone Susa (TO) www.studiograffio.it Printed on December 2010 No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means VALLE DI SUSA Treasures of Art and Alpine Culture The Susa Valley has been an important European transit route and across the centuries has been the witness of important historical mo- ments and has had the role of custodian of an immense cultural and artistic heritage, that with a rich natural beauty, has made the valley a unique and extraordinary place. The history of the man, who have populated the valley since Neolithic times, are reflected in the great variety of historical, archeological and artistic traces that embellish it. This history is inscribed into the same landscape, where monuments created by nature, like the morainic ba- sins of the Avigliana lakes, Mount Rocciamelone, Mount Chaberton, and human creations, such as the abbey of St. Michele, the Novalesa abbey, or the Exilles fortress and others, offer extraordinary points of access to a host of cultural, naturalistic and sportive adventures in our valley. And we might also add that is the backdrop to the towns in the high valley that host the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games. Over time, from the first century BC into the 1800s, the Romans fol- lowed by the French and then by the Savoys moved through this terri- tory and shaped the valley floor and the high mountainsides with their residential, religious and defensive works. The opportunity that we offer today, with the support of a host of local organizations and institutions, is to explore a series of itineraries that will allow you to become acquainted with the variegated mosaic of artistic and historical treasures in the valley, following the themes of archaeology, sacred art, material culture and military fortifications. A territory transformed in an open-air museum. The archeological section highlights the extraordinary historical fea- tures of the Susa Valley, which has conserved significant traces of the succession of civilizations and culture, from prehistory to the modern times. 3 A wealth of sacred art and architecture graces a countryside where high mountains tower over deep, tortuous and thickly forested ravines in a landscape of profound inspirational power in the human relation- ship with the divine. The broad valley floor provided room for settle- ments, which prospered and developed thanks to the accessibility of the mountain passes, and created the opportunity for fast connections to the rest of Europe, creating the impetus for a production of sacred art objects and religious architecture, which represent an important contribution to European art and culture as a whole. The wealth of abbeys, frescoes and Romanesque and Dauphiné church- es all testify to the rich and varied cultural growth of the valley. The Susa Valley, thanks to the many alpine passes, such as Monceni- sio e Monginevro, have also been vital strategic importance, which explains the widespread and quite visible presence of military installa- tions in the area. A historical progression from Medieval times to the Second World War may be observed in the military architecture, with works that are outstanding both as architecture and as examples of military strategy, and also have great aesthetic value for the beauty of the surroundings in which the various fortresses are set. The valley’s material culture recounts the tales of women and men who have lived and who still live here, working and interacting with the mountains, creating pockets of prosperity or eking out living in the bottomlands or on the steep mountain slopes. Well-preserved al- pine villages, with their characteristic spring-fed fountains, their village oven and their houses made of gneiss, other stones and wood dot the landscape. The richness of human presence in this area is also reflected in its lin- guistic diversity, from the various local Italian dialects to the language of Languedoc, revealing the strong transalpine influences. An extra fla- vor is added to this tour of the valley by the local culinary traditions with their great variety of wines and gastronomic delicacies. This guide to the open-air museum of Susa Valley is thus a means for becoming acquainted with the rich heritage of this territory, and also a sense it will strengthen a sense of identity and belonging among the inhabit- ants of the valley themselves. It is an invitation to all of you to come and explore on foot, by bicycle 4 or even on snowshoes the many roads and trails of the valley, conjoin- ing it’s immense historical and artistic heritage with its great naturalis- tic wealth. A true journey in the heart and soul of these alpine places. “Valle di Susa. Tesori d’arte e cultura alpina” Committee 1 5 CONTENTS TRAVEL ITINERARIES A. At the Borders of the Roman Empire ..................................8 B. Narrows and Enclosures ....................................................18 C. The Slopes of Bussoleno ....................................................30 D. The Susa Basin .................................................................40 1 E. The Cenischia Valley .........................................................52 F. The Plain of Oulx ..............................................................62 G. The Valleys of Cesana .......................................................72 H. The Bardonecchia Basin ...................................................82 THEMATIC ITINERARIES 1. Archaeology .......................................................................92 2. Architecture .....................................................................100 3. Fortified Architecture and Landscapes of Power ...............110 4. Figurative Arts .................................................................122 5. Material Culture ..............................................................132 6. The Natural Parks ...........................................................140 7. Food and Wine ................................................................146 APPENDIX ....................................................................................155 8 AT THE BORDERS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE A1 Buttigliera Alta, This itinerary takes us through the flat valley bottom, dominated by Preceptory of St. Anthony of the Medieval city of Avigliana and its lakes, the centre of metallurgy Ranverso. The for prehistoric Piedmont, and from the nearby abbey of St. Antonio of façade. Ranverso, where the Antoniani fathers used to treat those afflicted with shingles (known in Italy as “St. Anthony’s fire) to Turin, going as far as Rivoli, passing through scattered Roman era settlements along the “Via ad Galliam”, and finish our tour climbing into the Messa valley toward the Colle del Lys. Avigliana was part of the Duchy of Turin in the Langobard era and later fell under the dominion of the Franks; in 1045 it passed into Savoy hands and became their principal residence until 1418. The church of St. Maria Maggiore, a dependency of the provostry of Oulx starting in the twelfth century, stands at the foot of the castle whose ruins still dominate the Old Village. St. Maria was significantly modified during the Restora- tion, but still contains evidence of its previous furnishings: the Baroque paintings of the Annunciation and the Stories from the Old Testament, the eighteenth century pulpit from the convent of St. Agostino, a 1926 painting by Giovanni Paolo Crida, Beato Umberto di Savoia. A selection of plaster and bronze sculptures by Elsa Veglio Turino (Turin, 1921- 1986) are currently displayed both inside and outside. Avigliana, View of the Great Lake. 9 Avigliana, Church of St. Pietro. The Old Village contains a number of characteristic buildings, such as the Medieval Senore House, also known as Palazzo del Vescovo, restored in 1910, and outside of the St. Maria gate you will find the two-storey fortress-dwelling of Beato Umberto III with its loggia. The church of St. Giovanni was built as a parish church in 1324; the gothic stone portal is surmounted by a frescoed lunette depicting the Enthroned Virgin Mary with Child done by Enrico Reffo in 1895, the year the façade was restored. The vestibule has a fresco of the Madonna and Child with Saints Christopher, John the Baptist and Anthony the Abbot attributed to an anonymous follower of Giacomo Jaquerio going by the pseudonym of Master of St. Vito a Piossasco, as well as a series of scenes attributed to the Serra family of Pinerolo (Visitation, Holy Knight, Virgin Mary with Saint