Torre del Pedaggio

Site overview

Established as an administrative center in the 15th century, the tower became the mandatory toll point for merchants and dukes along the Moriana mule track. It was specifically through these walls that the solemn procession passed, transferring the Holy Shroud from Chambéry to Turin. The toll house is 12 meters high, measures 4×4.5 meters, and features frescoes reproducing the coats of arms and weapons of the Savoys along with some friezes. Here, at the end of the 15th century, the administration of the community and the office of the Castellany (and later of the Marquis of Lanzo) were located. When Charles III had to sell Lanzo to Giacomo de Medici in 1533, the Duchy of Savoy was by then reduced only to the Lands of Margaret, and the office of the castellany became a toll station for those traveling from Moriana (French Savoy) towards Lanzo and vice versa. During those 50 years when the Duchy of Savoy was confined to these Lands of Margaret, the customs tower was located on the mule track through which the Dukes transferred the Holy Shroud from Chambéry. Coats of arms, friezes, and the Savoy band are painted on the building, positioned towards the South-East. Restored in 2006, they constitute one of the most important sites in the Historical-Cultural itineraries of Ala di Stura, along with the Perini Frescoes.