Crest
Crest
location_city
Communities
explore
Territory
Piazza Cavour 1, 10053 Bussoleno
One of the largest centers in the middle Susa Valley, Bussoleno has ancient origins as demonstrated by the medieval part of the town, on the orographic right of the Dora, where the oldest settlement was in fact gathered along the Antica Strada di Francia (the current via W.Fontan) and around the parish church of S.Maria Assunta, enclosed within the city walls (11th century). After the 16th century with the dismantling of part of the city walls at the behest of the Infanta of Spain, the village expanded and merged with the agricultural settlement on the orographic left.
Inside the city walls there was also a noble castle from the Renaissance period, called Castello degli Allais, perhaps built on a previous stronghold along the walls and then passed to the residential function of the count's representative. Also noteworthy are the homes, noble or linked to commercial activities, which have been preserved such as the Casa Aschieri, and the Casa Amprimo or inn of the White Cross which also inspired De Andrade for the construction of the Medieval Village of Turin. A wonderful example of material culture is the Mulino Varesio with the grain mill and the mill for the production of walnut oil with original mechanisms from the early 1900s.
The weekly market was held outside the city walls every Friday, but the most important event for a long time was the Frankish fair of S.Luca, in October, established in 1290 by Amedeo V in open competition with that of Oulx under the protection of the counts of Albon of the Dauphiné.
The point of reference is the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, with the imposing Romanesque bell tower incorporated into the new building renovated between 1725 and 1739 based on a design by the forensic architect Francois Louis de Willencourt. Among the preserved paintings are some baroque canvases attributed to Bartolomeo Caravoglia and Orazio Gentileschi.
Isolated on the hill to the orographic right of the Dora is the Borello Castle whose oldest nucleus dates back to the 12th century. The building presents marked architectural elements with defensive characteristics such as: the remains of some Guelph battlements, trefoil windows and a series of towers originally defending the perimeter and entrance.
Among the rural chapels of the area, the Madonna delle Grazie in Foresto, along the Via Francigena, preserves an important cycle of fifteenth-century frescoes dedicated to the Stories of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim attributed to the Toulouse master Antoine de Lonhy (15th century).
In Bussoleno, in via Massimo D'Azeglio 16, there is also the headquarters of the Orsiera Rocciavrè Park, headed by the Management Body of the Protected Areas of the Cottian Alps, which has protection duties, promotes educational actions in the territory and encourages the use of the hiker network respecting the flora and fauna.
Since 20 February 2016 the Park has opened the mountain environment and culture laboratory of the Cottian Alps Parks, in the premises of the former primary school in the Argiassera village in the municipality of Bussoleno.
The construction of the railway increased the importance of Bussoleno as a sorting center for both passenger and commercial trains to and from France with mechanical workshops and highly specialized workers. This also influenced the demographic and urban growth of the town, now a center of services for the community of the middle Susa Valley.
