
Piazza Europa, 1, 10050 Meana di Susa
Meana rises along the road leading to the Colle delle Finestre, a communication route between the Susa Valley and the Chisone Valley. The municipality is the result of the aggregation of several scattered hamlets; among these, Suffis stands out, with the remains of the Ripa di Meana castle, feudal lords of the area, and Campo del Carro, dominated by the 18th-century parish church dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. The current building was constructed on the foundations of the ancient church of Sancta Maria de Travotio, already mentioned in the 12th century, traces of which remain in the base section of the bell tower.
The 18th-century renovation features a single nave interior with lateral chapels, and among the furnishings are the altarpieces of the Immaculate Conception and the Madonna with Child between Saints Sebastian and Roch. Popular devotion is instead tied to San Costanzo, celebrated on September 18th with Priests in traditional costume and the dance of the Branc: structures adorned with flowers, ribbons, and colorful bows that are made to jump according to an ancient propitiatory dance linked to pagan rituals connected to the fertility of the land, to favor the harvests later absorbed into Christian traditions. In line with this ancient devotion, it is worth noting that in the 17th and 18th centuries, a Sacred Representation of the martyrdom of Saints Costanzo and Maurizio was staged in Meana, lasting two days and involving hundreds of people, including performers and spectators from neighboring villages.
In the oldest core of the town, stands the Palace from the 17th century, arranged on 3 floors with facades overlooking an inner courtyard characterized by vaulted loggias traditionally inhabited by religious people. Meanwhile, in the hamlet of Campo del Carro, the Torre delle Combe seems comparable to the numerous watch and signaling towers distributed to control the valley, like those in Traduerivi and Mattie. Among the fortified and noble residences is the Casaforte di Meana, a robust square-plan building rising three levels high and crowned by a crenellated patrol walkway. The country's economy has always been linked to agricultural production, prominently featuring the cultivation of chestnut fruits, which extend halfway up the road to Colle delle Finestre.
Higher up, the landscape is delineated by coniferous forests and vast expanses of pastures, and the road climbs through a long series of tight hairpin bends where one can still observe interesting achievements in road engineering. Upon reaching the head of the valley, at 2,215 meters high, the silhouette of the Forte del Colle delle Finestre stands integrated into the rock, built in 1891 on the site of 18th and 19th-century batteries, with the function of maintaining communications in case of conflict between the military strongholds of Susa, Assietta, and Fenestrelle.