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Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 2, 10050 Exilles
The town of Exilles is located at the mouth of the Galamabra Valley, as a crucial node within a strategically important area due to its proximity to the Montgenèvre alpine pass. It was already mentioned in Roman times for the presence of a fortified structure on the hill which emerges among the gorges, that is, the first nucleus of the Fort which now dominates the town.
The origin of the Celtic toponym exingo-magus: fortified square, indicates the peculiarity of the town of Exilles since its origins. The development of the town is certainly connected to the presence of the Exilles Fort, so much so that it has the typical shape of a medieval shelter to host the inhabitants during the sieges of the fort. It was accessed through doors that opened from all four sides and the buildings leaning against the perimeter walls communicated with each other through arches and narrow passages between the internal courtyards. The village was accessed through doors that opened on all four sides, and in the center the main street Charrière is still crossed by the water canal for cleaning the streets and for fires, where the ancient surrounding houses form small internal shelters flanked by 'to each other. In the center of the town, the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul (13th century), with its splendid fifteenth-century portal, preserves inside wooden furnishings of great value such as the pulpit or the retables made by master carvers such as Chaffrey Faure or Jacques Jesse who worked in many churches and chapels of the Upper Valley in the Escarton area of Oulx. The bell tower of Exilles presents unique elements not found in other Valsusini models, such as the two-tone between the light plaster of the walls and the dark ashlars of the frames.
The small chapel of SS. is curious. Rocco and Sebastiano, built in 1660 by reusing stone ashlars and decorations from a previous chapel probably dedicated to Saint Peter.
Certainly impressive is the Fort of Exilles whose function was precisely the defense of the Dauphiné and the strategic control of the road towards Montgenevre. The ancient origin, although documented, is no longer visible due to the numerous alterations that took place over the centuries, in particular between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. With the Treaty of Utrecht, with the passage of the Upper Susa Valley between the Savoy dominions, its function became progressively less important. The Fort was then rebuilt between 1818 and 1829 in its current appearance which follows the formal and defensive structure of the eighteenth-century fortress, updated according to nineteenth-century military technologies, thanks to the interventions of engineers such as De Willencourt, Olivero, Rana, Bertola which gave it its current appearance. The abandonment of the military in 1943 was followed by a period of decline until its current recovery, becoming a museum with tours of the internal spaces and set up with models that trace the centuries-old history of the Fort of Exilles and the village.
Among the significant events of Exilles we highlight Exilles Città, a costume event that animates the small village with theatrical and musical performances put on by the population among alleys, courtyards and fountains.
