Assietta Battle Historical Re-enactment and Piedmont Festival

A battle that shaped Piedmont's history

On July 19, 1747, on the narrow Assietta ridge separating the Chisone and Susa valleys, a small band of Piedmontese soldiers led by General Giovanni Cacherano di Bricherasio repelled the assault of a vastly superior Franco-Spanish army. Entrenched behind semicircular rock fortifications, the Savoyard grenadiers withstood repeated attacks, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. That victory, achieved at an altitude of over 2,500 meters, has entered the collective memory as a founding episode of Piedmontese pride.

The re-enactment at Colle dell'Assietta

Every summer, the Colle dell'Assietta, accessible from the Sestriere area (Metropolitan City of Turin), returns to being a battlefield: historical groups in 18th-century costumes reconstruct camps, maneuvers, and clashes, allowing visitors to relive the atmosphere of that day. The day opens with a flag-raising ceremony, continues with Mass celebrated in the Piedmontese language, and culminates in the re-enactment of the 1747 combat and an official commemoration at the monument dedicated to the fallen.

The Piedmont Festival

Since 2022, a regional law has designated July 19th as the Piedmont Festival, the official holiday dedicated to the history, culture, and identity of the region, chosen in memory of the Battle of the Assietta. For this reason, the gathering at the Colle is not just a local re-enactment, but the heart of a widespread program that runs from June to October, involving all Piedmontese provinces with conferences, choral concerts, musical walks, and exhibitions.

In the mountains of the Upper Susa Valley

The event is organized by the Consorzio Turismo Sestriere with the support of the Piedmont Region. The setting is the spectacular scenery of the Upper Susa and Chisone valleys, in a symbolic place where history, nature, and tradition merge. It is a unique opportunity to discover a little-known episode of 18th-century European history and to spend a day immersed in the high-altitude landscape of Piedmont.