Istituto Des Ambrois
The Istituto di Istruzione Superiore Statale Des Ambrois is the secondary school of Oulx, in the Susa Valley. It combines a lyceum and a vocational institute and is housed in a building constructed with a 10-million-euro investment by the then Province of Turin, today the Metropolitan City of Turin, which owns the school buildings. The institute was inaugurated in 2009 on a site outside the town centre, near the Lago Borello nature reserve, a choice that was controversial at the time [1].
The missing gymnasium
The school building was built without a gymnasium: the area around Lago Borello is protected by environmental restrictions, leaving no room to build one on the land allocated to the school [1]. Since then, Des Ambrois students have used the old municipal gymnasium at Pra Long, on corso Ortigara in Oulx, reached by bus [1]. In early October 2026, the Municipality of Oulx and the Metropolitan City of Turin formalised, through Determination no. 68 of 1 October 2026, the renewal of the usage concession for the Pra Long gymnasium for the 2026/2027, 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 school years, with an annual fee of 32,000 euros covering management, heating and utilities, totalling 96,000 euros over three years [1]. Asked on 30 October 2026 about the state of the new gymnasium project, the Metropolitan City of Turin stated that an announcement would only be possible once the detailed design was ready by the end of the year [1].
The November 2026 occupation
On 5 November 2026, from around 7:30 am, Des Ambrois students occupied the institute to protest the fact that, seventeen years after the school's inauguration, work on the new gymnasium had still not begun [2]. The school informed families, in a notice signed by headteacher Emanuele Pennini, of the suspension of teaching activities, stating that the situation did not allow for the regular running of lessons or the normal functioning of the institute [2]. Students joining the occupation were marked as absent, while those who did not wish to take part were directed to the institute's green area, supervised by teaching staff, where those present could register and be recorded as present under supervision [2]. School management handled communications to the relevant authorities, including the police and the Metropolitan City of Turin, to report the situation and request action within their respective remits [2].
Chronology
- — Students at the Des Ambrois secondary school in Oulx occupy the school and suspend lessons to protest the fact that, seventeen years on, work on the new gymnasium has still not begun. → Valsusa Oggi Valsusa Oggi
Sources
- Valsusa Oggi — 30 October 2026
- Valsusa Oggi — 5 November 2026