The Susa Valley in Piedmont, Italy, historically served as a transit area between the Po Valley and France. Divided by the Dora Riparia river, it has an Upper Valley with a mountainous landscape and a Lower Valley extending to Susa, featuring an agricultural plain. Until the 1880s, the economy relied on agriculture, leading to emigration due to the insufficiency of agriculture alone to sustain families. In 1864, following the transfer of the capital from Turin to Florence, had a sharp impact on the capital of Piedmont. The city experienced a decline in population and economic activities within a few years. The Municipality of Turin appealed to foreign and national industrialists in 1865, encouraging them to invest in various industrial facilities in the city to counteract the negative consequences of the capital's relocation.