| Usseglio | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Piedmont | |
| Territory | Valleys of Lanzo | |
| Altitude | 1,265 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 98.54 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 200 (2018) | |
| Name inhabitants | Ussegliesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0123 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 10070 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | Maria Assunta (August 15) | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Usseglio (Ussèj in Piedmontese, Usèi or Isseui in Franco-Provençal, Ussel in French) is a municipality in the province of Turin.
To know
Geographical notes
Located on a plateau that opens at the end of the Viù valley, the southernmost of the three valleys of Lanzo, borders the French territory to the west, the Val d'Ala to the north and the Val di Susa South; the only connecting road, however, is the SP 32 which leads downstream towards Germagnano.
The panorama of the municipality is typically alpine: among the towering mountains, the Rocciamelone, whose summit can also be reached from this side; there Punta Lunella South; there Red Cross North; but above all the mount Lera, whose unmistakable shape characterizes the landscape of the country.
The plateau of Usseglio is formed by the Stura di Viù, one of the three branches that form the Stura di Lanzo. The river undoubtedly has a torrential character, and there are not very rare alluvial phenomena, which can also affect some of its tributaries, such as the Rio Arnas and the Rio Venaus; the latter, however, is generally dry, except in spring when the snow melts on the mountains.
There are various lakes in the municipal area, both natural and artificial. The largest of the latter is that of Malciaussia, created between the two wars when a dam was built to make a hydroelectric power station, submerging the old hamlet among other things.
In the mountains to the north there are also the lake of the Rossa, one of the highest in Italy (over 2600 meters) and that of the Tower; to the south, the small Black lake.
Background
The Usseglio area was inhabited before the Christian era: the Celtic name was probably Uxeilos ("top place"), and the Latin one Hoc Cælum.
Two votive altars have been found in the area, one dedicated to Hercules and the other to Jupiter. The first bears the name of Marco Vibio Marcello engraved and is now on the facade of the old parish church; the other was found in 1850, bearing the name of Claudio Casto, and was placed in front of the Chapel of San Vito in the Piazzette hamlet.
In the Middle Ages the territory underwent a series of changes of dominion, until in 1418 it returned definitively under the Savoy family.
At the beginning of the twentieth century the proximity of Usseglio to Turin made it a fairly popular destination for Piedmontese noble families, and it seems that the royal family also made various holiday and hunting periods in the valley.
How to orient yourself
Usseglio: full screen map.Fractions
Usseglio owns the following hamlets: Chiaberto, Cortevicio, Crot, Malciaussia, Margone, Perinera, Pian Benot, Pianetto, Piazzette and Villaretto.
How to get
How to get around
What see
- parish church. The complex of the old parish church dates back to the period between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries; these are buildings grouped around a small square that was the ancient cemetery.
- The parish church is of Romanesque origin, adapted in the first half of the seventeenth century. In the remodeling the current façade, facing east, took the place of the ancient apse. The bell tower is also Romanesque and dates back to the 11th or 12th century: however, only the two lower floors of the original building remain.
- On the façade there is a Roman plaque in good condition, dating back to the 2nd century AD, coming from Bellacomba di Arnàs (2476 m), bearing a votive dedication "to Hercules by Marco Vibio Marcello". Still on the façade you can see some graffiti from an unspecified period, illustrated by a panel located nearby, under the canopy at the entrance to the church square.
- The current parish church, in neo-baroque style, was built between 1911 and 1971 and contains a valuable bronze Way of the Cross and two large paintings from the old parish church.
- "Arnaldo Tazzetti" Civic Museum. Opened in 2004.
Events and parties
- Patronal feast (Assumption of the Virgin Mary).
August 15. However, each hamlet has its own chapel and its patron saint: San Vito and San Desiderio in Piazzette, San Giacomo in Pianetto, San Rocco in Chiaberto, San Fedele in Cascine and Sant'Antonio al Cortevizio, San Pietro in Villaretto, San Michele in Perinera , San Lorenzo in Pian Benot, San Bernardo in Malciaussia, San Camillo at Lago della Rossa, as well as the Madonna della Neve all'Andriera and Sant'Anna on the road to the lake of Torre. - Regional Show of Toma and typical cheeses of Valleys of Lanzo. In mid-July. Organized by the local Pro Loco and the Municipality.
- Snow party. Between February and March. Walk with snowshoes on a 6 km path that reaches the hamlet Perinera.
- Transhumance and Mountain Potato Festival. First weekend of October. Festival dedicated to families and celebrates the return of the herds to the valley.
August 15. However, each hamlet has its own chapel and its patron saint: San Vito and San Desiderio in Piazzette, San Giacomo in Pianetto, San Rocco in Chiaberto, San Fedele in Cascine and Sant'Antonio al Cortevizio, San Pietro in Villaretto, San Michele in Perinera , San Lorenzo in Pian Benot, San Bernardo in Malciaussia, San Camillo at Lago della Rossa, as well as the Madonna della Neve all'Andriera and Sant'Anna on the road to the lake of Torre.
