Susa

Susa is about 31km from Sauze d’Oulx and is the gateway to the alpine pass of Montcenisio (Mont Cenis) that leads into France.

Susa (Latin: Segusio) was founded by the Gauls. In the late 1st century BC it became voluntarily part of the Roman Empire. Remains of the Roman city have been found in the excavations of the central square, the Piazza Savoia. Susa was the capital of the province of Alpes Cottiae (Cottian Alps).

The town has a bustling market (every Tuesday in Via palazzo di citta’) and the Cathedral of St Justus Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Giusto, or Duomo di Susa).

Susa Cathedral began life as a Benedictine Abbey of St. Justus in 1029. The church itself was built around 1100 and has since been refurbished and restored several times. The cathedral is a Romanesque style building. The façade has terracotta decorations and is joined to a Roman gate of the 4th century, the Porta Savoia, to the south. Inside is a statue supposedly of Adelaide, Marchioness of Turin, daughter and heiress of Olderico Manfredi and wife of Otto, Count of Savoy, ancestress of the Royal House of Savoy.

Worth seeing:

Susa Cathedral (1029)

The triumphal Arch of Augustus (8 BC)

Porta Savoia