Certosa 1515

Certosa 1515 is a four-star hotel set in Avigliana, a small town in the Susa Valley roughly thirty kilometres west of Turin, at the foot of the hills that climb toward the Sacra di San Michele abbey. The name and the address are not coincidental: the property sits along the ancient pilgrimage route leading to that Romanesque sanctuary, and the building itself carries the weight of that history in its architecture and atmosphere. With a rating of 8.8 across more than a thousand reviews, it earns its standing not through scale but through consistency.

The surrounding landscape defines the kind of stay this hotel suits best. Avigliana is a medieval town with two glacial lakes and a protected natural park on its doorstep, which makes Certosa 1515 a natural base for hikers, cyclists, and travellers who want Piedmont's countryside without sacrificing comfort. The restaurant and the breakfast — singled out repeatedly by guests — matter here in a way they might not in a city hotel: after a day on the trails, having a proper meal and a well-stocked bar on site removes the need to drive anywhere.

Guests arriving by car will find that free parking is not a minor detail in this part of Piedmont, where the historic centres of nearby towns are largely pedestrianized and street parking is scarce. Rooms are available from three in the afternoon, and checkout at half past ten leaves enough time for a morning walk along the lake before heading back toward Turin or continuing west into the Alps.