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Sant'Ambrogio di Torino

Sacra di San Michele

Abbey on Mount Pirchiriano, Stairway of the Dead, symbol of Piedmont, Umberto Eco inspiration.

Photograph · Sacra di San Michele

At a glance

Sacra di San Michele facts that matter

Names, makers, dates, and context before the story opens up.

What it isChurch
WhereSant'Ambrogio di Torino, Piedmont
Known forAbbey on Mount Pirchiriano, Stairway of the Dead, symbol of Piedmont, Umberto Eco inspiration

The story

What you're looking at

Benedictine monks balanced this abbey on the peak of Mount Pirchiriano a thousand years ago, and the climb through the rock-cut Stairway of the Dead still feels like a pilgrimage. Umberto Eco borrowed its silhouette for The Name of the Rose, and Piedmont has made it the region's official symbol.

Plan your visit

Before you go

Booking
Walk-up friendly

Find it

Where to find Sacra di San Michele

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Nearby

More to see in Sant'Ambrogio di Torino

Worth folding into the same day.

  1. Sant'Antonio di Ranverso Abbey — Sant'Ambrogio di Torino, Piedmont, ItalySant'Ambrogio di TorinoHidden GemSant'Antonio di Ranverso AbbeyA Romanesque-Gothic monastery founded in 1188 near Turin, owned by the Ordine Mauriziano and holding early-15th-century frescoes by Giacomo Jaquerio considered masterworks of the late-Gothic Piedmontese school.
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