Outdoor sports
When Charlemagne was crossing over the paths of the Susa Valley in order to attack the Lombard army from behind, he could not have imagined that those 60 kilometres of mule paths could have been travelled one day by peaceful groups of trekkers. Generations of mountain folk in the Monviso valleys have been seeing greater and greater numbers of mountain climbing groups reach peaks that once had been considered unreachable, even by Virgil, Dante and Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales.
Piedmont is all this too. Its Alpine peaks reach over 4000 metres. It has splendid river beds, paths hidden in nature, and a system of parks and nature preserves that covers an area of 160,000 hectares. This is one of the reasons that a great number of Italian and foreign tourists have chosen this region for their outdoor sports. There is a wide range of activities offered. There are horseback rides, climbing on sheer rock walls, day trips, and trekking expeditions. In Piedmont there are about sixty legs of the Great Crossing of the Alps that winds through eight countries in Europe and offers an adventurous journey. All this combines the discovery of splendid countryside with contact with local cultures. Piedmont is also the land of bicycling. In 1876 there was the first bicycle race in the world from Milan to Turin. Even today, the most demanding climbs of the national race, the Giro d´Italia, are still those of the Fauniera and the Agnello Pass. Opportunities for innovative bicycling include paths for free ride, downhill and trial biking. Finally, golf lovers are offered an excellent new network for golfing that Piedmont is proud of. There are 40 courses, at least 5 of which are among the 10 best courses in Italy.
Both hackers and experienced golfers can find the course most suited to their needs, from 9 to 36 holes. Piedmont even has the Sestriere golf course, the highest the 18-holes in Europe.
[Indietro]
[Indietro]
Places
Abbazia di Novalesa
Near the monastery, there are four chapels dedicated to Saint Mary, Saint Salvador, Saint Michael, and the most important one to Saint Eldrado which has two splendid fresco cycles (from the late 11th century) narrating moments from the lives of Saint Eldrado and Saint Nicholas.
Palazzo Callori a Vignale Monferrato
The building, erected during the 15th century, houses Monferrato’s Regional Wine Cellar (Enoteca). The ancient cellars in tuff are still used to store prized wines and grappas.
Sacro Monte di Crea
Built at the end of the 1500’s, the Sacro Monte di Crea has 23 chapels and 5 hermitages scattered throughout the woods and connected to each other by paths. The chapels narrate the life of the Virgin Mary and house extraordinary life-size statuary groups.
[Indietro]
People
Gianni Farinetti
"I was born in Bra, in the Langhe. I have a true affinity for the countryside. Piemonte is a land rich in moods and history, literary history as well: Arpino, Levi, Ginzburg, and the best loved of all, Beppe Fenoglio – but also many recent writers. In fact, no other Italian city has produced so many beginnings in the last several years as Torino."
Benedetta Cibrario
“Torino is a city in which things simmer, working in secret. It’s filled with contrasts, often treated poorly, and it is very beautiful: this is a discovery made as an adult.”
Antonello Venditti
“Torino is a fist of good earth raised to the sky…it’s my second home. I found a special lady here who knows how to reward me with affection. This is why I will never forget the concert I gave at Palasport in 1980”.
[Indietro]