Forte di Exilles

About the museum

For centuries the Forte di Exilles has controlled the upper Susa Valley. The first reliable references show it under the Albon family and then the Dauphins, often in conflict with the counts of Savoy; in 1349, with the line of the Dauphins extinct, it passed to the Kingdom of France. In 1593–1594 Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy besieged it, but the Duke of Lesdiguières retook it. After the Treaty of Lyon of 1601 it was reinforced, and in 1708 Vittorio Amedeo II brought it back under Savoy control.

In the 17th century the fort was a state prison and from 1681 to 1687 housed the mysterious prisoner known as the Man in the Iron Mask, under the custody of Bénigne de Saint-Mars. After the Armistice of Cherasco (1796) the Savoyard fortifications were blown up with mines; reconstruction began in 1818 under Colonel Giovanni Antonio Rana. From 1889 it housed the Exilles Alpine battalion; after 8 September 1943 the fort was disarmed and abandoned.

Today the complex belongs to the Piedmont Region. The visit passes through the tenailles (tenaglie), the Grande Pozzo (great well), the Cortile del Cavaliere (Knight’s Courtyard), the officers’ quarters, the attic with the military dovecote and the prisons. The fort hosts temporary exhibitions, museum spaces, concerts and shows in the courtyard; the guided tours, run by the Associazione Amici del Forte, also show parts not included in the ordinary ticket.

Highlights

• Fortress with tenailles and the Grande Pozzo
• Cortile del Cavaliere (Knight’s Courtyard)
• Prisons where the Man in the Iron Mask was held
• Attic with the military dovecote
• Guided visits to underground passages, the Gran Fossato (great moat) and stables
• Concerts and shows in the courtyard

Founded

1339

Operated by

Regione Piemonte

Admission & discounts

“Promo cultura” rate €4; IGIIC 2026 members’ card €3. Free admission for holders of the Abbonamento Musei Piemonte Valle d’Aosta and for residents of Exilles. Guided tours are not covered by the Piemonte Card agreement.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The fort is listed as accessible to people with disabilities and wheelchair users: one can go up by the ramp beyond the former drawbridge, or by the panoramic lift to the Cortile del Cavaliere. The route includes stairs and uneven ground; comfortable shoes are recommended. For details contact the Associazione Amici del Forte. Dogs are admitted on a lead.

Kids & families

Pushchairs are admitted, but some areas are hard to reach, and the guided tour is not feasible with a pushchair because of the stairs.

Getting there & parking

By car, about 67 km from Turin: A32 motorway to the Susa exit, then SS24 towards Exilles.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Bar in the Cortile del Cavaliere next to the ticket office; bookshop, where tickets for additional visits are also sold.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit