Sacra di San Michele

Sant'Ambrogio di Torino

A monumental abbey founded at the end of the 10th century by Hugh of Montboissier, perched at 962 m on Monte Pirchiriano at the mouth of the Susa Valley, visible from far away amid a sea of vegetation. According to legend, the archangel Michael himself appeared to point out the site for the building — a motif found almost identically in the founding stories of Mont-Saint-Michel and Monte Sant'Angelo. The place, with an atmosphere so distinctive that it inspired Umberto Eco's monastery in 'The Name of the Rose,' occupies the central position in the line of seven shrines, midway between Skellig Michael and Mount Carmel.

Getting there : Ticketed site

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound