San Giorio di Susa
Discovering San Giorio di Susa: a land of art and nature
San Giorio di Susa is a town in the Piedmont region located in the metropolitan city of Turin. The town is situated entirely in the Susa Valley and is characterized by a vast hilly and mountainous area, ranging from 420 meters at the valley floor to 2801 meters at Punta Cristalliera in the Gravio Valley.
The town of San Giorio di Susa includes 27 alpine villages, nine of which are permanently inhabited, and are developed with roads, footpaths, gneiss quarries, and pylons, on the mountain rich in forests and chestnuts. Much of the municipal area above the altitude of 1250 meters is part of the Orsiera Rocciavrè Regional Natural Park, and it is possible to participate in excursions to reach the peaks of Monte Rocciavrè, Punta Cristalliera, and Punta Villano starting from the locations of Adrit and Travè d'Amoun.
A brief introduction to the history of San Giorio di Susa
The foundation of the town dates back to the Middle Ages, as attested to in the document kept in the State Archives of Turin from 1226, which announced the foundation of a villanova on Mollare where the church of San Giorio is located. According to the historian Luca Patria, probably around 1000, the settlement was in fact fragmented, and the isolated church, but the town previously linked to a "fondus Bassianus" begins to acquire its own identity. The oldest and most characteristic part of the town gathers around the Castle of San Giorio di Susa, an ancient fortification from the 13th century that overlooks the Lower Susa Valley from the top of a characteristic mollare (moulé).
Places of interest in San Giorio di Susa
San Giorio di Susa is a town rich in historical and artistic treasures. The Parish Church of San Giorgio Martire, rebuilt in 1937, still has the original Romanesque-style bell tower, while the fortified Casa Forte, belonging to the parish, has characteristic swallowtail merlons. But above all, the Chapel of the Count is the jewel of the town: the marvelous and colorful Franco-Piedmontese frescoes date back to 1328 and are the reason for the foundation of one of the detached branches of the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art (San Giorio di Susa).
San Giorio di Susa is also an important stopping point of the Via Francigena, which passes through the Susa Valley. The town has, in fact, a strong medieval past, and important historical vestiges remain from this past.
The coat of arms and the banner of San Giorio di Susa
The coat of arms and banner of San Giorio di Susa were granted by decree of the President of the Republic on June 20, 1975.
The banner is a split cloth of red and white.
San Giorio di Susa is a town that combines the beauty of nature with the charm of history and art, all immersed in the suggestive setting of the Susa Valley. An ideal place for lovers of hiking, history, and art, discovering a territory rich in surprises and historical treasures to discover.
