Novalesa Abbey and the Lakes of Avigliana

The Abbey of Novalesa: A stone's throw from Monte Rocciamelone, in the Susa Valley, between Mont Cenis and Montgenèvre, there's this little hamlet that hosts a small congregation of Benedictine friars 'ora et labora' in the Abbey of Novalesa (TO). The abbey has a very long history, contested, destroyed, rebuilt, and dates back to 726 AD; it consists of the central abbey complex, which is the great abbey, some smaller chapels in the surrounding grounds, and the friars' quarters. The history of the abbey is long and interesting, and you can hear it during the guided tour given by a Benedictine friar. The visits are free, every day except Monday, about 4 times a day; you can visit the chapels, the abbey, the museum areas, the little shop with various products and the surrounding area with the balcony overlooking the Susa Valley.

The abbey complex also hosts tourists and pilgrims for short periods so that they can draw closer to Benedictine monastic life and live it with the friars for a few days. The congregation of friars does all the work of the centre and specialises in the restoration of old books. The Abbey of Novalesa is well signposted both on the motorway and in the town. The recommended motorway exit from the Turin-Bardonecchia is Susa. The Abbey of Novalesa, a tourist spot and destination of various pilgrimages, a well-known place wedged into the Susa Valley at the gates of France and not far from Turin, we decide to make a trip there....... At 09:40 we're there; we park in the large car park at the bottom before heading up a little road that leads to the Abbey.

Once there a little friar pops up and tells us to form a small group for the guided tour (which we imagine to be paid); we start looking around and I snap a few photos of the Abbey but I'm not very surprised or excited, the abbey doesn't seem up to much..... All around is green, very green, all immersed in the lush nature of the valley, and down below a river flows among the rocks.... We join 3 young people who arrived by campervan and 2 gentlemen from Rimini; I just have time to see that there are museum exhibition areas and a little shop, I'm in a little courtyard of the abbey, gravel underfoot and signs giving information about the visits, the masses, the times, the history, etc...... I quickly learn that this isn't just any place; a hunch: it's a known place, so it must have had something important in its very long life......let's see what the Benedictine friar tells us......

And so after 5 minutes the tour begins and we head towards a little chapel in the meadows, uphill, crossing some areas with crops and grassy slopes, ancient stone buildings that don't look like places of worship......the environment all around is particular, I'm curious and slowly we arrive, passing through a wrought-iron gate, at the highlight of the complex. A tiny but very pretty chapel; frescoes can be glimpsed from the outside towards the inside; we position ourselves outside while our religious guide illustrates for an hour the interesting, ancient history of the place, which unlike the abbeys I've visited in the past isn't made up only of one important central 'church' but of several ancient chapels, all immersed in greenery. Scattered? Perhaps, but it's a welcoming and 'cheerful' environment amid the mountain nature.

The chapel the friar illustrates is the first complex built around 700; the history is very long, and between Italians, French, popes, bishops, miracles and real history, the tale takes shape with the friar's river of words while we, speechless, listen to who did what and when and where. Destructions, reconstructions, cooperations, Napoleon, soldiers, aid and important paintings. The narration widens to the churches of the Turin area, we mention the Shroud, we talk about the valley, the mountains.....the work of the Benedictines, what the friars do in the abbey complex: they're 7 brothers who, helped by the neighbouring population and by regional and provincial incentives, lead not a bad life between prayer and work, learning, restoration of old books and welcoming pilgrims.

When we're full of knowledge we're allowed to admire the interior frescoes of the chapel, never restored and excellently preserved thanks to a unique climate in the Susa Valley. The natural balcony looks out over the valley floor; behind us is Monte Rocciamelone, we make out Mont Cenis; it's morning and the air is crisp, we're in the mountains, the visit has been thorough and interesting. I took several photographs; the view from there is very beautiful, and a warm sun is even coming out. We visit the central abbey on our own, bigger but not huge, poor but not too much, bare but also rich, ancient but very pretty and interesting to see.

The museum areas consist of a few rooms, spaces where the restoration work phases of old books are displayed, some interesting objects relating to the life of the Benedictines, and in the little shop we buy some honey produced by the friars; the shop has lots of products and objects, from classic things to more original ones. 10:45 when we head for the car towards the Fort of Exilles. I'd recommend the visit to anyone who wants to spend a day in nature, to anyone interested in history and religion, to anyone who loves art, to anyone who loves getting up early and then visiting everything around. The whole thing costs nothing, in the sense that you don't pay for parking, nor for the visit; maybe you leave an offering in the church and buy a little something in the little shop......

Lakes of Avigliana: At five I arrive in the area and have time for a visit and a walk along the lake, curious to see what the area is like, which is, moreover, quite famous. Along the lake there are several car parks, bars, restaurants, hotels...... lots of greenery and a very long walk for almost half of the big lake. I start the walk along the lake from the area where I'd had lunch, a bar-pub-restaurant on the shores, and continue towards the town centre. There are lots of people, someone's fishing, some houses are leaning against the lake and not too well kept. Every now and then a bench, lots of trees that block the view of the lake, which at that hour shows the classic beautiful reflections of the late-afternoon sun.

The walk is partly unpaved and partly made of walkways over the water; all in all the view and the atmosphere are pleasant; it's summer and the sun's reflection on the water warms you and tans you. The walkways are fairly new but, let's say, they completely spoil the surrounding nature. On the lake there's windsurfing, boats, canoes.......and a motorboat that takes tourists on a sightseeing tour of the whole lake, which isn't big. Unfortunately I get to see some very dirty corners and rubbish abandoned among the trees, unkempt places and sewers discharging into the lake. The lake isn't transparent, the water is very dirty, full of algae, and that would be the least of it...... it's really dirty! Some people dip their feet in the water; I suppose it isn't suitable for swimming but I don't check; I wouldn't swim in it even if paid.

The view is nice, with the sun's reflections; on the other side I see villas on the shores; a diving board in the water makes me assume there are water-skiing shows or that it's practised as a sport. We pass in front of the centre where boats and pedalos are rented and where the sailing school is based. The shores aren't very pleasant; they should at least keep them clean..... The houses aren't much either, on the lake..... People stroll because I think it's a custom, one of the few nice and relaxing things to do for zero euros, but to be honest, if I can give a mark I'd express a five and a half...