In Piemonte - Piemonte Feel

Piedmont: where the past meets the future. Centuries of art and a rich living culture of food and wine; traditional crafts side by side with scientific research. This region is a powerful industrial force, in the forefront of innovation and new technologies, but it is also fiercely protective of its beautiful and fruitful natural heritage, the land. So for the tourist the choice is endless: from architecture, art and cultural events to sport and leisure activities in the open air.

• Valleys and Mountain Communities

Piedmont is three hundred million years old; old enough to have a long story to tell, of wars, work, traditions and culture, but still young enough to be full of energy, alive and productive. In this region, which is so rich in natural resources and in natural beauty, the Piedmontese have shown great capacity to create industries, large and small, producing world class goods. Geographically speaking, Piedmont has always been the region most closely identified with the Alps: even its name,”at the foot of the mountains” conjures up a dramatic image of its snow covered mountain peaks and massifs. These are among the highest in Europe and include Monte Rosa, an inspiration to Leonardo da Vinci, and Monviso, the source of the Po River.
In landform, Piedmont divides into distinct areas of mountains, hills and plain. Within its borders we find 1,206 of the 8,101 municipalities in Italy; more than 600 of these have a population of less than 600. With its surface area of 25,399 square kilometres, divided into 8 provinces (Torino, Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Vercelli, Verbania), Piedmont is the second largest Italian region after Sicily. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north, Aosta Valley to the north-west, Lombardy to the west, Emilia-Romagna to the south-east and Liguria to the south. The total number of inhabitants is approximately 4,330,000.

41% of its surface area is covered by the mountains of the Alps, creating a paradise for fans of summer and winter mountain sports, with a number of internationally famous ski resorts. So it is no surprise that Turin was chosen to host the Olympic Winter Games of 2006. Another 41% of the region is occupied by the hills of Monferrato, the Langhe and Roero: the vines grown on these slopes have created classic wines of world renown like Barolo and Asti Spumante. In fact, these three areas, combined with the Canavese and Novarese hills, boast the staggering number of 46 DOC controlled origin wines (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and 8 DOGC controlled and protected origin wines (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Protetta). Piedmontese food and cuisine is infinitely varied and superb in quality. Take for example the famous white truffles of Alba, or the magnificent cheeses, made from the creamy milk of Piedmontese dairy herds, nine of which have been awarded the European certificate of quality, DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta).
The remaining 27% of the region is plain land and includes the principle rice growing area of Europe. And lastly, two large lakes, Lago Maggiore and Lago d’Orta occupy the north-west corner of Piedmont.
Apart from its natural beauties Piedmont has much to offer the tourist in terms of art and culture: The rich heritage of its long history is evident in every village or town, where visitors can discover the art and architecture of successive historical eras: from Romanic to Neoclassical, to Baroque and Modern art. Architectural gems are scattered throughout the countryside: royal palaces, churches, castles, elegant spa resorts and religious pilgrimage cities. A treasure trove of attractions to satisfy even the most demanding tourist. Thanks to the variety of its geography Piedmont offers a choice between two climates: cool alpine or temperate-continental. During the summer months the maximum daily temperature is approximately 27 – 30° C, while in winter it is 2 -3°C.