Italy Guide
Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta
Basilica di Superga
The Basilica di SupergaAddress: April– Oct, Mon– Fri 9am– noon & 3–6pm, Sat & Sun 9am–12.45pm & 3–6.45pm; Nov– March, Mon– Fri 9am– noon & 3–5pm, Sat & Sun 9am–12.45 & 3–5.45pmPrice: free; €3 to climb the dome, €4 to visit the Savoy tombs and the royal apartments stands high on a hill above the rest of the city. In 1706 Duke Vittorio Amedeo climbed the hill in order to study the positions of the French and Spanish armies who had been besieging the city for four months, and vowed that he would erect a temple to the Madonna on this site if she were to aid him in the coming battle. Turin was spared, and the duke immediately set Juvarra to work, flattening the top of the hill and producing over the next 25 years the circular basilica you see today.