Susa (, , ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin,

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In the middle of Susa Valley, it is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the

Po River The Po ( , ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy, starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is , or if the Maira (river), Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. The headwaters of the Po are forme ...

, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km (32 mi) west of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

History

Susa () was founded by the Ligures. It was the capital of the Segusini (also known as Cottii). In the late 1st century BC it became voluntarily part of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. 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. Taking part of the county or march of Turin (sometimes "march of Susa"). In 1167,

Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aa ...

and Holy Roman Empress Beatrice were attacked here; the emperor disguised as a horse servant to flee, while the empress was imprisoned until permitted to depart in 1168. In 1174 the emperor pillaged Susa in revenge. Henry of Segusio, usually called Hostiensis, (c. 1200 – 1271) an Italian canonist of the thirteenth century, was born in the city. 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 nationwide dispute over the construction of the proposed Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link (TAV) to France.

Main sights

* Susa Cathedral () (1029). *The triumphal Arch of Augustus, erected by a Romanized Sugusian chief to Augustus in 8 BC. *The Roman Amphitheater.Raymond G. Chase: Ancient Hellenistic and Roman amphitheatres, stadiums, and theatres: the way they look now. P. E. Randall, Portsmouth 2002, ISBN 1-931807-08-6 *Castle of Marquise Adelaide. It is likely located in the same site of the ancient Roman ''Praetorium''. *Archaeological area of Piazza Savoia.

Twin cities

* Barnstaple, United Kingdom * Briançon, France * Paola, Italy

Sources

External links

*
Cities and towns in Piedmont Hilltowns in Piedmont Castles in Italy {{Turin-geo-stub

History

Main sights

Twin cities

See also

Sources

External links