Piedmont

The Piedmont is a region from important history and geographical location – between the France, the Switzerland, North Italy and the nearby Ligurian Sea – that integrates in a European development system. Europe as the spirit of a rich and dynamic, in constant balance between innovation and tradition.
The multiple nuances of Piedmont are all to be discovered, through a tourist offer and widely diversified production: from the Olympic Mountains for large foods and wines of Langhe and the Monferrato, by primates of textile, automotive and technology to Savoy Residences, from film to the armatureart, the culture and the architecture.

Discovering Piemonte
To truly discover the Piemonte you must seize the historical and natural features of the many areas that compose it, each with their own traditions and typicality. Here is an overview of the many possible routes offering this region.

The Savoy residences
The residences of the House of Savoy – who made the first capital of Italy – also extend beyond the Turinese belt, reaching the Canavese (the Castello Ducale di Aglié), the cuneese (the castle of Racconigi) and part of the Langhe (the Agenzia di Pollenzo).
But their largest concentration is in Turin and province.
There are must-see Royal Palace, Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Carignano (site of the first Italian Parliament), the Castello del Valentino (along the Po) and Villa della Regina, on the Hill. But also around residences are no less: from Venaria and The Herd at Castello di Rivoli (an important Museum of contemporary art), from the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi al Castello di Moncalieri.

The fortresses of the Olympic valleys
Military fortresses – the "sentinels of the Alps" – are a very particular heritage and great historical charm, crossing the two valleys where in 2006 will the Winter Olympics: the Val di Susa and Pellice and Chisone valleys.
Many castles to visit, guests can visit the Fort of Fenestrelle, the Fort of Exilles and Bramafam Fort.

The via Francigena
The Via Francigena, as the name implies, came from France and was one of the medieval pilgrims ' routes, that moved from faith went to Rome. Today you can retrace in reverse the path of pilgrims, encountering here and there the tangible signs of the ancient medieval Street ’, as the precettorio de Sant ’ Antonio di Ranverso, the Sacra di San Michele – perched on Monte Pirchiriano – the Roman city of Susa and l ’ abbazia di Novalesa.

The Canavese
The Canavese form as a broad subalpine amphitheater between the valleys of the Gran Paradiso National Park and the Dora Baltea, between the Valle d Aosta North ’ and the Susa Valley South.
Here the ’ advanced industry of Olivetti in Ivrea – "capital del Canavese" – coexists with the prized grape vineyards (l ’ Erbaluce di Caluso, First of all) and with the memories of medieval and Baroque past, represented by numerous castles (the Ducale di Aglié, and then Rivarolo, Masino and St George).

The Biellese
It's’ a particular land, the Biellese, characterized by large textile plants and shrines on the first foothills of the Biellese Prealps.
The testimony of religious devotion are tangible: the sanctuary of San Giovanni d ’ Andorno di Campiglia Cervo to grandiose sanctuary of Oropa, at the foot of Mount Mucrone, Perhaps the oldest of the Marian shrines d ’ West.

The Novara and Vercelli
The landscape of these areas is a huge Board of ’ colors that change with the seasons of rice and overlooking the great mass of Monte Rosa.
When the soils are completely submerged by water (120.000 vercellese and novarese hectares between), all the plain turns into a mirror d silver ’. It's’ the world of rice fields of Piedmont. Vercelli has been established in the middle ages of the first Piedmontese University and Novara is known for the dome of the Cathedral, a distinctive emblem for its resemblance to the Mole torinese.

The Great Lakes
The Lakes region – Orta, Mergozzo, Stresa – is a world apart in the complex reality of Piedmont.
The large mirrors d ’ water right at the foot of Monte Rosa, are surrounded by parks, from the churches and villas that have made it a "little Switzerland" (the border is not far).
The main attractions are the San Giulio island in the middle of Lake Orta, Verbania (on the western shore of Lake Maggiore) and Stresa, post town in beautiful panoramic position.

The Valsesia
Valsesia is long and complex and winds its way along the flow of the River Sesia: large and almost laughing in the first stretch between Borgosesia and Varallo, where the numerous industrial plants (paper mills, woolen Mills, rubinetterie) living with the exceptional testimonies of ’ religious art; narrow and winding at the top, where the ancient Walser villages at the foot of the South East wall of Monte Rosa; high and impressive with ice falls and the peaks that exceed 4,000 meters.

The Monferrato
The Monferrato hills fail almost never the five hundred metres height ’, but the landscape is continually moved and shaped. These hills are dotted with orchards, fruit trees and vineyards, producing wines like the Grignolino, Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa, Moscato. Casale Monferrato is a town with a long history, It deserves a visit, as well as Asti, Home wine and ancient Palio, dating back to the period ’ d ’ city gold, that was the middle ages.
Another Pearl of the region is the Romanesque Abbey of Vezzolano.

The Langhe
Although there were no vineyards which shape the reliefs, Although it produced some of the finest wines in the world, even if they hadn't been immortalized in the novels of Cesare Pavese and Beppe Fenoglio, the Langhe would still be a unique place, with the castles and villages perched on a balcony of hills, overlooking the ’ Alps and open to the South towards the sea.
La Morra (in a panoramic position), Barolo (bearing the name of the most celebrated wine from Langa), Monforte, Serralunga, Grinzane Cavour (with the unmistakable Castle ’) and many others, are the villages of this region, famous throughout the world.
But mostly Dawn, "capital" of the Langhe, Dolcetto, of nougat and White Truffle.

The alessandrino
“Low land” from the uniform landscape and "middle ground" between the Po Valley and the Ligurian Apennines, the Alexandria has its strong points scattered here and there on the territory: by ori of Valencia to the castles of Ovada, the fortress of Gavi to Rivalta Scrivia Abbeys and Bosco Marengo, up to the Spa of Acqui.

The cuneese
The Cuneo is the largest region of Piedmont, that earned him the nickname of "provincia granda". Among the cities to be visited are Cuneo (characterized by a long theory of portici), Mondovì (with its old town and the nearby sanctuary of Vicoforte) and Saluzzo.

Piedmont in figures ...

• 38% plain, 33% by Hill, 29% of the mountains, that will be the scenario at the winter Olympic Games of 2006, with 2.000 kilometers of ski slopes spread over the whole Alpine chain
• 1000 kilometers of expressways, 2000 railways, 2 international airports
• 100 research and development laboratories, a system of science parks, 3 University and the new University of taste "in Pollenzo
• leader in the field of motor vehicles from more than 100 years old, leader in textile industry, the food and household goods
• 190 acres of parks and Turin is the city with the highest percentage of green per inhabitant
• 5.000 rice producers, 120.000 hectares, 6 millions of tons per year, the 30% European production
• Valenza Po produces jewellery exported to the 60% Around the world
• land of pleasures: the Monferrato and the Langhe are the homeland of wines and foods of the highest quality, exported worldwide. 44 DOC wines, 10 DOCG, 9 DOP cheeses, chocolate, Hazel, truffle, meat, rice
• Culture and history: more than 100 museums, 1000 libraries, thousands of archives and cultural institutions.