Piedmont, which owes its name to the fact that it is located “at the foot of the mountains”, is one of the largest regions in Italy, with a territorial extension of more than twenty-five thousands square kilometres and a demographic density of 4.5 million inhabitants. It occupies, almost entirely, the north-western part of Italy, facing the Alps that separate it from France and Switzerland; to the south, the first Apennine Mountains represent the border with nearby Liguria; while Lake Maggiore and the Ticino River separate it from Lombardy.
The proximity of the international airports of Milano Malpensa, Turin Caselle (Turin is the region’s capital city) and Genoa (which is also one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean), make access to the region a particularly easy and simple affair.
Due to its geographic position, Piedmont has always constituted a sort of buffer zone between north western Europe and the rest of Italy, in this sense anticipating today’s European Union.
Here, dynamic cultural and artistic exchanges between the Padana plain, France and Spain, above all in the medieval period, have left some major testimonies: Ivrea Cathedral, the Basilica of S. Andrea di Vercelli, the romanesque churches of San Michele di Oleggio, San Remigio and Monfortano, overlooking Lake Maggiore, the Basilica of San Giulio, on Lake d'Orta and the Abbey of Vezzolano, near Asti which, so legend has it, was built in 773 by no less a figure than Charlemagne.
Within a regional context, the artistic routes feature the sober lines of romanesque with the ebullient decorations of baroque, through to gothic and contemporary art, without neglecting royal residences, dwellings built from the beginning of the sixteenth century at the command of the House of Savoy, and recognised in 1997 as "Heritage of Humanity” by Unesco: as recently also occurred with regard to the Sacri Monti (Holy Mountains). Then again, it is impossible not to mention the Sanctuary of Oropa near Biella. Incalculable artistic treasures, which can be discovered starting with the porticoes in via Po and Piazza Castello, in the centre of Turin, a city dominated by the soaring Mole Antonelliana (which now hosts the Museum of Cinema). The routes stretch out to embrace villages, castles and places of worship, like the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, at Novara, with its 121 metre high cupola, topped by a statue of the Saviour and designed, like the Mole, by Antonelli.
Still in Turin, you simply must pay a visit to Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Madama and Palazzo Carignano, the site of reunified Italy’s first Parliament, designed by the celebrated architect, Guarini.
Nor can one leave out Valentino Castle, or Villa della Regina, the eighteenth century Hunting Palace at Stupinigi and the Reggia at Venaria Reale, which rivalled, in the past, the residences of the leading Courts in Europe; then again, there are the castles at Aglié, in Canavese, in Racconigi, Govone and Rivoli, with the latter now hosting the Museum of Contemporary Art. Cuneo, with its famous and noble porticoes, concealing an array of architectonic delights and secrets; or Mondovì dominated by its borgo di Piazza, with a past as capital city of an enormous diocese and as academic city; or the aristocratic Saluzzo, which keeps, among its streets, in its churches and palaces, the elegance of an environment that has always been receptive to the culture across the Alps; or again, Savigliano, an example of the explosion of artistic achievement in the seventeenth century, with masterpieces on a European level in its noble Palaces.
From Lingotto, a polyfunctional centre, created by renovating the ex-Fiat factory, through to the Basilica of Superga and Regio Theatre, to the Murazzi along the River Po, with their nightlife, all are ready to host the Winter Olympics in 2006, with the very latest technology, historic cafés, shopping areas and a touch of sophistication.
The locations which will host the 2006 Winter Olympics lie among the Susa, Sangone and Pinerolese valleys, in the Province of Turin, among the most enchanting and evocative in Piedmont. Sestriere, for example, has been the queen of Piedmont winter tourism since as far back as 1930: with San Sicario, Sauze d'Oulx, Claviere, Cesana, it provides more than 400 km of pistes along the Via Lattea. The site of Olympic competitions will also include Bardonecchia and Pragelato. In these valleys, it is still possible to see historic and architectural splendours: from monuments in the romanesque era, to aristocratic houses and medieval fortified villages, from frontier fortifications recalling the violent conflicts of the past, to abbeys, all set within an incomparably stunning natural environment.
In the winter months, surrounded by the splendid snow-capped array of the mountains around Cuneo, it is possible to find, amid unique scenery of incomparable beauty, hundreds of kilometres of pistes, both downhill and cross-country, capable of satisfying the needs of a large and variegated public.
Nor can we forget Valsesia, a true paradise for sport, culture and nature, just a stone’s throw from the major cities: from the pistes of Monterosa Ski to the artistic marvels of Varallo, capital of religious architecture; from the exquisite villages along Sermenza and Mastallone to the rushing waters of the River Sesia, a favourite with all rafting, canoeing and kayak enthusiasts; from the old wood workshops to puncet point-lace; from the art of fake marble to the tradition of scapin, warm slippers in fabric material.
An Alpine area of international fame, with an unexpected artistic heritage, excellent craft traditions and tastes and flavours that simply must be enjoyed.
And what about the Lakes? The blue of the waters and the green of the hills embraces, in a certain sense, the whole of Piedmont. Locations that have always been great favourites with tourists, enraptured by scenery that has been painted, experienced and described by artists and writers. Especially along the shores of Lake Maggiore. In the nineteenth century a phenomenon began which now characterises all the major Italian lakes: summer residences for noble families and those of leading businessmen, seeking a little peace and tranquillity amid breath-taking landscapes. With the arrival of Art Deco, at the start of the twentieth century, large hotels and residences surrounded by parks hosted personalities from the world of show business, royalty, literature (e.g. Hemingway, who set his novel “A Farewell to Arms” on the shores of Lake Maggiore, and was often seen walking along the lake shore at Stresa). However, Piedmont’s lakes also offer a quality of life which seemed to have almost disappeared; shows, sports (speedboating, canoeing, water skiing, hang-gliding, golf, horse riding, tennis) and music festivals of international renown.
Parks, gardens and nature reserves complete this incredible and inexhaustible tourist attraction, in the Region located at the foot of the mountains. You can simply set off along the mountain trails, or follow the river banks, or stroll around the parks of aristocratic residences that are open to visitors.
Two natural reserves can also be explored just a few kilometres from Turin, offering some highly interesting specific features: Parco del Meisino and Parco della Mandria, with paths for trekking, birdwatching and the possibility of glimpsing deer and other wild animals. Delightful days await you, under the aegis of an uncontaminated environment, practicing sports like kayak and hang-gliding. The Gran Paradiso National Park deserves a special mention. Located in the Canavese territory, it was the first to be founded in Italy way back in 1922, and includes a territory with high peaks, soaring up to 4061 metres at the summit of Gran Paradiso, together with larch woods, Alpine pastures and fauna: more than three thousand ibexes! In 1856 it was declared a Royal Hunting Reserve by King Vittorio Emanuele II.
The Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola hosts the Parco Naturale dell'Alpe Veglia-Devero, while just a few kilometres from Lake Maggiore you can visit the Val Grande National Park, comprising the largest wilderness area in Europe. Taken together, Piedmont’s parks cover almost eight per cent of the entire regional surface area. Figures and history that testify to a long-standing programme of environmental protection.
At Verbania it is possible to visit Parco di Villa Taranto, with its English-style gardens, donated to the Italian State by a Scottish gentleman; while at Stresa there is a zoological park in Villa Pallavicino. Finally, a few moments should also be set aside for an unforgettable view over Lake Maggiore from the Alpinia Botanical Garden, overlooking Stresa, considered one of the most enchanting panoramas in the world.
Then too, how could we possibly forget some of the great names in fashion, those "made in Biella" which are so famous around the world: Ermenegildo Zegna, Fila sport, Cerruti 1881, Loro Piana, Piacenza and many, many others.
After exploring nature, history and art, you can then surrender yourself to the delights of good food …. Piedmont’s enogastronomy is sober but with outstandingly unique features: starting with truffles, especially the white ones from the Langhe and Monferrato, followed by agnolotti or "tajarin", made with fresh pasta, unforgettable risottos, bollito misto, served with various sauces, cabbage soups, tofeja, ajucche soup. Place of honour must of course be extended to "bagna cauda", a mixture heated on small stoves with oil, garlic, salted and minced anchovies, into which you can dip carrots, celery, raw peppers and other vegetables. As regards cheese, there is an unending selection: Bra, raschera, toma, robiole, Castelmagno, Roccaverano, while Novara is very much the area for gorgonzola.
Piedmont, however, is above all the land of chocolate. In 1559 Duke Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy imported the first cacao seeds and chocolate was very soon the “fashionable” drink of pre-Alpine aristocratic drawing rooms.
In the nineteenth century, when cacao was first used to create "bicerin" (a mixture of chocolate, coffee and milk cream) adored by Count Benso di Cavour, innumerable cake and sweet shops opened in Turin, producing chocolate, gianduiotti and praline, made from pasta gianduia and marzipan, and aromatised with liqueurs.
Such delights included bonet, a delicious chocolate pudding, prepared with crumbled almond cakes, then bigné and Chantilly, filled with cream, zabaione and baking cream, margheritine di Stresa, torrone di Asti and Alba, ‘torta novecento’ from Ivrea, almond cakes from Acqui and Mombaruzzo, biscuits from Novara, Canestrelli from Biella. The grissino (breadstick) too, is a typical Turin speciality: the baker, Antonio Brunero, invented it in 1679.
Piedmont has long been a land of noble wines, with wine-making in this area at the foot of the Alps dating back to Roman times. Cavour and the Marquis Giulia di Barolo perceived the potential in developing fine wines, and in the XIX century the great wines of the Langhe and Astigiano began to be created: Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo …. Today, Piedmont also offers Boca, Moscato, Grignolino, Freisa, Malvasia, Bonarda, Gattinara, Sizzano, Ghemme, Fara, Gavi, Cortese, Erbaluce di Caluso, Carema, Bramaterra, Lessona, Coste del Sesia e Canavese.
Moscato d'Asti and Asti Spumante are two excellent dessert wines, which have been produced since the XIII century; today, almost eighty per cent of production is exported around the world.
The Regional Wine Cellars are set within prestigious locations: in Grinzane Cavour Castle, formerly belonging to the famous Count Camillo Benso, at Barolo, Falletti Castle, and of course we cannot forget the Municipal Wine Cellars and connoisseur Wine Shops in Canale, Dogliani, Santo Stefano Belbo, Portacomaro, Cisterna, Moncalvo…; a series of distinguished meeting places, where you can discover, with the pretext of splendid wines, still more of Piedmont’s culture and history.
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