Susa, Italy
Encyclopedia
Susa is a city and comune
in Piedmont, Italy
. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia
with the Dora Riparia
, a tributary of the Po River
, at the foot of the Cottian Alps
, 51 km (32 mi) west of Turin
.
. 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
. According to the medieval historian Rodulfus Glaber
, Susa was "the oldest of Alpine towns".
In the Middle and Modern ages Susa remained important as a hub of roads connecting southern France to Italy. During the Napoleonic era a new road, the Via Napoleonica, was built. The city's role as a communications hub has been confirmed recently by a nation-wide dispute over the construction of the proposed Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link
(TAV) to France.
Briançon, France
Paola, Italy
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in Piedmont, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia
Cenischia
The Cenischia is a mountain torrent which straddles the south-west French department of Savoie and the north-west Italian Province of Turin. Part of the Po basin, it is a left tributary of the Dora Riparia and forms the valley called the Val Cenischia which marks the boundary between the Graian...
with the Dora Riparia
Dora Riparia
The Dora Riparia is an Italian river, a left-hand tributary of the Po. It is 125 km long, with a 1,231 km² drainage basin. It originates in the Cottian Alps, close to the Col de Montgenèvre in France, where it is called the Piccola Dora...
, a tributary of the Po River
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
, at the foot of the Cottian Alps
Cottian Alps
The Cottian Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France and Italy...
, 51 km (32 mi) west of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
.
History
Susa was founded by the GaulsGauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
. In the late 1st century BC it became voluntarily part of the Roman Empire
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. 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
Alpes Cottiae
Alpes Cottiae was a province of the Roman Empire, one of three small provinces straddling the Alps between modern France and Italy. Its name survives in the modern Cottian Alps. In antiquity, the province's most important duty was the safeguarding of communications over the Alpine passes...
. According to the medieval historian Rodulfus Glaber
Rodulfus Glaber
Rodulfus Glaber was a monk and chronicler of the years around 1000 and is one of the chief sources for the history of France in that period.-Life:...
, Susa was "the oldest of Alpine towns".
In the Middle and Modern ages Susa remained important as a hub of roads connecting southern France to Italy. During the Napoleonic era a new road, the Via Napoleonica, was built. The city's role as a communications hub has been confirmed recently by a nation-wide dispute over the construction of the proposed Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link
Lyon Turin Ferroviaire
Lyon Turin Ferroviaire , subsidiary of Réseau Ferré de France and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana , is the promoter of the joint French-Italian part of the future rail link between Lyon and Turin....
(TAV) to France.
Main sights
- Susa CathedralSusa CathedralSusa Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Susa, Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Susa and is dedicated to Saint Justus of Novalesa ....
(1029). - The triumphal Arch of Augustus, erected by the Romanized Sugusian chief to Augustus in 8 BC. http://www.citrag.it/archi/page/arches/e_ar_im04.htm
- The Roman Amphitheater
- Castle of Marquise Adelaide.
- Archaeological area of Piazza Savoia
Twin cities
Barnstaple, United KingdomBarnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
Briançon, France
Briançon
Briançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....
Paola, Italy
See also
- Val di Susa
- Treno Alta VelocitàTreno Alta VelocitàTreno Alta Velocità SpA is special purpose entity owned by RFI for the planning and construction of a high-speed network in Italy.-Purpose:...