Giaglione is located in a dominant position upstream from Susa at the confluence of the Dora Valley and the Cenischia Valley, and for this reason an important hub of roads and connections with the passes of the Susa Valley, both Monginevro and Moncenisio but also the Clapier. Local tradition says that Hannibal passed through the latter with his elephants after crossing the Arc Valley to reach the Po Valley and surprise the Roman army.
Giaglione is mentioned among the lands donated by Abbone, governor of the Susa and Moriana valleys, for the foundation of the Novalesa abbey and later dependence on the abbey of San Giusto and the Savoy family. Many families had feudal rights such as the Auruzi, the Bermondi and the Aschieri, but since 1254 it gained the franchises for administrative autonomy.
Linked to the presence of feudal families are the remains of some fortifications with reception functions, however difficult to read today, while the testimonies of military architecture such as the Forte delle Combe remain significant.
Of the four hamlets that make up Giaglione, S. Stefano attracts particular attention for its small chapel which displays a cycle of precious 15th century frescoes. representing the vices, virtues and punishments of hell and attributed to the Serra workshop.
The predominantly agricultural economy was sufficient for subsistence, the territory did not allow the establishment of proto-industrial activities, therefore it saw a progressive depopulation towards the plains already in the 19th century. It still presents the ancient settlement with stone houses and shaved roofs which are arranged on several levels on the mountain side, thus keeping the original architecture intact. The Maria Bona Canal is interesting. irrigation canal built by the noblewoman of the Aschieris family, to facilitate the flow of the waters of Val Clarea towards the town of Giaglione. The parish church of San Vincenzo stands in a panoramic position on an ancient place of worship, where works of notable historical and artistic significance are preserved, testifying to the cultural liveliness of the cross-border area across the Mont Cenis in the 17th century. The richness of the carving and the imagination of the decorative motifs closely recall the methods of the Moriana carvers such as Bernard Flandin, Jean Clappier, Jean Simon and Sébastien Rosaz, for the creation of retables and wooden statuary today partly preserved in the Museum of Art Alpine Religious. The museum, located not far away, was born in 1994 and has been part of the Diocesan Museum System since 2001. San Vincenzo, according to tradition the protector of winemakers, is the patron saint celebrated on January 22nd with a ceremony with ancient rites which sees the presence of the prioress, one of whom balances the bran on her head, a decorated wooden structure over 2 meters high of ribbons, flowers and fruit, and of a donut bread that is baked for the occasion. The procession is accompanied by the Spadonari with costumes and headdresses richly decorated with flowers and ribbons: through the Dance of the Swords they perform an ancient rite, once pagan, to promote the fertility of the land and the abundance of the harvest.
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