Things to do in Sauze di Cesana Italy – what to see attractions and activities

The Torre Delfinale has a square-shaped structure composed of different stone materials. The building was built around the 14th century and served as the residence of Royal officials. In the middle of the 18th century, the tower was abandoned for reasons that are still unknown. In 1882 the tower was purchased by Minister Luigi Des Ambrois of Nevache. After his death, he passed ownership to the Municipality, which, in collaboration with the Superintendence for Architectural and Environmental Heritage of Piedmont, made it possible to restore it.

The Museum was established in 1889, during the celebrations of the bicentenary of the Glorious Repatriation. After a long period of closure, in 1989, restoration work began. Inside, objects and illustrative panels related to repatriation are exhibited, when in 1690, the thousand Waldensians returned after three years of exile.

The Colombano Romean Ecomuseum in Salbertrand, in the Gran Bosco Natural Park, collects the memories of land and water of the community. The route includes: the hydraulic mill, which tells 800 years of exploitation of water, from feudal milling rights to the production of electricity; the school of the past and a set-up ethnographic; the common oven of the Oulme hamlet; the ancient charcoal maker and the lime furnace; the nineteenth-century ice box with the adjoining supply pond; the smoke-sauna built thanks to a project European conducted by the Politecnico di Torino; the site dedicated to the Glorious Return of the Waldenses. The tour also includes the splendid parish church of St. John the Baptist and the chapel of the Annunziata di Oulme. Ancient buildings and artifacts present themselves to the visitor as examples of a past today to be discovered. For school groups and organized groups there are thematic accompaniments carried out by specialized guides and educational courses have been devised. In addition, since 2006, the cultural association Ar.Te.Mu.Da animates guided tours to the ecomuseum with theatricalized accompaniments.

Extended on the southern slope of the Susa Valley at an altitude ranging from 1,000 to 2,600 meters, the Park includes the areas of Chiomonte, Exilles, Oulx, Salbertrand and Sauze d'Oulx. Its purpose is to protect 700 hectares of mixed wood of white fir and spruce, unique in Piedmont. In the past, these forests have been exploited to obtain large beams used in civil and military engineering works, such as the Arsenal of Turin, the Basilica of Superga and the Venaria Reale. In addition, the wide variety of environments provides an ideal habitat for many animals: from birds of prey to mammals such as wild boar, deer and suede. Wolves have also returned in the park, frequent sightings since 1997.

The Jafferau gondola lifts at an altitude of 2000 meters, offering a splendid view of the Bardonecchia basin. It is possible to take the gondola lift both on foot and by bike. At high altitude you can stroll to discover the many paths that wind on the slopes of the Jafferau with breathtaking views and panoramic points.

Blockhaus del Falouel was built in 1982, and it was the fortress of the homonymous guard corps. It was made up of a cubic barracks divided into three floors where about seventy riflemen had shelter. There is no trace of the drawbridge at the entrance, but still the construction is in excellent condition.

The Serre Marie Fort was built in the second half of the 19th century and is part of the imposing complex of the buildings of the Fort of Fenestrelle. The structure looks like a real battery with six pieces that originally beat the surrounding area of the valley floor near Usseaux. The dust can was accessed through a tunnel that passed below street level.

Carlo Alberto's Ridata was built during the 19th century to replace Fort Mutin. The structure took the name of the then King of Sardinia Carlo Alberto who requested its construction. Originally the Reduction was made up of two squat and adjacent buildings of which today only one remains that has a pyramidal trunk shape developed over five floors. The structures were connected to the Fort of the Fenestrelle through a moat that reached the Western Pincers of Fort San Carlo.

Built in 1477. Among the furnishings stands out the retable of the high altar dated to the seventeenth century and the choral lectern one of the oldest evidence of the sculptural activity of the inhabitants of the Bardonecchia hamlet.

Accessible on foot from the hamlet of Horres. Interesting pictorial testimonies both outside and inside. Panoramic position above the Basin of Bardonecchia.

The Three Teeth Fort was built in 1692 at the behest of General Catinat on commission from France. The building is named after three rock spikes originally found at the building site. During the 18th century, the so-called Devil's Garitta was also erected, reachable through ramps of side stairs. The structure of the Fort consisted of an aqueduct that went into the mountain taking water from a natural spring.

La Reducta Santa Barbara is located at an altitude of 1550 m going up the side of the mountain of the Fort of Fenestrelle. The structure has a truncated pyramidal shape with very thick walls and a square base. It is thought that outside it had a drawbridge from which you could reach the Cannon Road.

Forte delle Valli is a fortified complex built in the 18th century in Val Chisone, province of Turin. It is more commonly called 'the Great Piedmontese Wall', thanks to its greatness. Initially, he had the task of protecting the Italian-French border. From 1946 to 1990 it was abandoned, later restorations began, still underway today. In 1999 it became a symbol of the Province of Turin. In 2007 he was included in the list of the 100 most at risk of international historical archaeological sites, by the World Monuments Fund.

Fort San Carlo was built between 1731 and 1789 and represents the best preserved building in the Fort of Fenestrelle complex. Access was through the Royal Gate reserved for nobles, officers and ambassadors. The Officers Pavilion, the Governor's Palace, a church and some warehouses are part of this Fort.

The Fort of Fenestrelle is a fortified complex built from the 18th to the 19th century in Val Chisone. It is said “The Great Wall of Piedmontese” for its development along the left flank of the valley. The design idea came from Ignazio Bertola who built it with the intent to protect the Italian-French border. The complex was not the site of serious assaults but only the protagonist of minor conflicts and a brief clash during World War II. The structure of the Fort consists of 7 reduced and 3 forts connected together by stairs, ramparts and stands.

Historical references have been made of the Fort of Exilles since 1155, when the accounts of Albon were exercising control of the territory. In the middle of the 16th century, the structure was contested by some Catholic factions who wanted to seek control of the Dauphinate. In 1796, the fort was totally destroyed by French troops. Between 1818 and 1829 the structure was renovated, thus bringing it back to its former glory.

The Conte Verde Castle has a military structure. Its construction dates back to the 13th century. In the past, the castle was the seat of one of the abbey castles of San Giusto di Susa and also the seat of court and prison. Currently, only the ruins are left of the castle.

It houses on two floors the collection of testimonies of the local material culture.

The Tur d'Amun, in a dominant position over the Bardonecchia basin and the Borgovecchio, was born around the second half of the 12th century with military functions in order to control the outlets of the two valleys of Frejus and Rho and be visually in communication with the fortification by Bramafam. The residence of the legendary lord François de Bardonnèche originally had a mighty central tower 21 meters high, preserved up to the height of the battlements still in the 1920s. In the whole area, purchased in 1998 by the Municipality of Bardonecchia, an archaeological park is now set up which, by means of self-guided panels, allows to investigate the structures, their history and evolution over time. The tower can now be visited, of which the first two floors above ground have been recovered, parts of the small eastern tower, sections of the walls that delimited the downstream complex, the circular towers of the southern side and some service rooms.

Ring itinerary of about 60 miles. Departure from the Rock Cut

Built between 1694 and 1698 (original from 1487). Interior dominated by wooden carving. Decorations with garlands of flowers and fruits (bunches) are the work of carvers of the Melezet from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Headquarters of the Museum of Alpine Religious Art

Interesting frescoed testimonies both inside and outside.

The antiquity of the building is evidenced by the small Romanesque bell tower. Rogational cross in pink marble on the outside, large retable, canvas by Our Lady of the Rosary with SS Hippolytus and Lorenzo, baptismal font in marble dating back to 1632 inside

Accessible on foot, a country building of great interest as it retains significant frescoed cycles dated between the end of the 15th and 16th century (inside and outside)

Going up the Sommeiller carriage road you will find a crossroads that leads to the Decauville, created for the transport by rail of the materials necessary for the construction of the dam. Going along this flat path, on foot or by mountain bike, you will arrive at the area called Bacini on the slopes of Mount Jafferau from which to admire the majesty of the Alps.

Bramafam Fort was built between 1885 and 1894 with the function of controlling the Frejus Gallery. The fortification has a stone structure with concrete cover. He held a defensive role during World War II, becoming the seat of the 516th Border Guard Battery. After a period of neglect, the building was used as a museum area hosting environmental reconstructions, models of fortifications and artillery.

Rebuilt between 1826 and 1829 in the same area on which the primitive Romanesque church stood, the current parish church has two bell towers (the original Romanesque and the coeval dome) and important testimonies of sculpture and carving.

From the Grange di Valle Stretta follow the mule track that slightly descends through the beautiful pastures and, at the first fork, take a right to reach the bridge over the stream of Valle Stretta near a grangia. Continue along the path that follows the course of the stream in a suggestive environment immersed in the coniferous forest and with numerous springs. After a short uphill stretch you reach Lake Verde, a jewel with emerald colors.

Just above Bardonecchia, there is the beautiful 'canal walk': a wide path crosses a forest and is surrounded by wood carvings produced over several years by many authors.

The village path consists of 14 stages to discover the soul of Bardonecchia and its historical and artistic treasures.