Piedmont

Piedmont sits at the foot of the Alps, as its name says. Turin, the first capital of Italy, is an elegant city of arcades, royal palaces and cafés, with the Egyptian Museum and the Mole Antonelliana.

South of Turin the vineyard hills of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, a UNESCO landscape, produce Barolo and Barbaresco and are famous for the white truffle of Alba. To the north lie Lake Orta and the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore with the Borromean Islands.

At the foot of the mountains

Piedmont, as its name suggests, is the land at the foot of the mountains: a great amphitheatre closed on three sides by the arc of the Alps, with Monviso, Monte Rosa and the peaks of the Susa Valley, and open to the east towards the Po plain. It was the heart of the Kingdom of Sardinia and of the House of Savoy, which led the unification of Italy from here, and Turin was the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Today Piedmont is a region of great industrial traditions, but also of vineyard hills listed by UNESCO, lakes, royal residences, sacred mountains and one of the most refined cuisines in the country, famous for white truffles, chocolate and great red wines.

Turin, the Savoy capital

Turin is an elegant and surprising city, with long tree-lined avenues, monumental squares and eighteen kilometres of arcades. Piazza Castello, with the Royal Palace and Palazzo Madama, and Piazza San Carlo, the city's drawing room, are the heart of the Baroque centre. The Egyptian Museum is the most important in the world after the one in Cairo, the Mole Antonelliana houses the National Cinema Museum and a panoramic lift, and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud keeps the famous linen cloth. Turin is also the city of historic cafés, of the bicerin, a drink of coffee, chocolate and cream, and of major contemporary art museums. On the hill, the Basilica of Superga offers views over the city and the Alps, while the Automobile Museum tells the story of FIAT and Italian industry.

The royal residences

Around Turin lies the crown of delights, the Savoy residences listed by UNESCO. The Reggia of Venaria Reale, with its vast gardens and Great Gallery, is one of the largest royal palaces in Europe. The hunting lodge of Stupinigi, the castle of Racconigi, the castle of Rivoli, home to a contemporary art museum, and the castle of Moncalieri complete a system of palaces and parks unique in the world.

Langhe, Roero and Monferrato

The hills of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, listed by UNESCO for their wine landscape, are among the most beautiful places in Italy, especially in autumn, when the vineyards turn red and gold. Alba is the capital of the white truffle, celebrated every autumn with its International Fair, and of Nutella. Around it are wine villages such as Barolo, with its castle and wine museum, La Morra, with its viewpoint over the hills, and Barbaresco, with its medieval tower. The Monferrato, between Asti and Casale, has castles, infernot cellars carved into the tuff and Romanesque churches. Asti is famous for its Palio, its medieval towers and its sparkling wine.

Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta

The Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore is one of the most elegant places in the Alps. Stresa, with its Belle Époque grand hotels, is the starting point for the Borromean Islands: Isola Bella, with its Baroque palace and terraced gardens, Isola Madre, with its botanical garden, and Isola dei Pescatori, with its fishing village. Verbania has the Gardens of Villa Taranto, one of the most important botanical gardens in Europe. Nearby, Lake Orta is smaller and more romantic: Orta San Giulio faces the island of San Giulio with its Romanesque basilica, and above the village the Sacro Monte of Orta is one of the nine Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy listed by UNESCO.

The Piedmont Alps

Piedmont's mountains offer skiing, hiking and wild landscapes. The Via Lattea ski area, with Sestriere, Sauze d'Oulx and Claviere, hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics; Bardonecchia is another historic resort. The Susa Valley has the abbey of the Sacra di San Michele, perched on a peak and a symbol of the region. The Gran Paradiso National Park, the oldest in Italy, shared with the Aosta Valley, is the home of the ibex. Monte Rosa towers over the Valsesia, a paradise for rafting, and the Walser valleys of Alagna and Macugnaga. In the province of Cuneo, the Occitan valleys, such as Val Maira and Val Varaita, have their own language and culture, and Monviso, where the Po rises, is one of the most recognisable peaks in the Alps.

The cities of Piedmont

Besides Turin, Piedmont has little-known art cities. Saluzzo, an old marquisate, has a perfectly preserved hilltop historic centre. Cuneo is famous for the arcades of Via Roma and its rum-filled chocolates. Novara has the dome of San Gaudenzio by Antonelli and rice fields all around; Vercelli is the rice capital of Europe, with the basilica of Sant'Andrea, one of the first Gothic buildings in Italy. Ivrea, Olivetti's industrial city and a UNESCO site, is also famous for its historic Carnival with the Battle of the Oranges. Biella is the city of wool and textiles, with the sanctuary of Oropa in the mountains.

Food and wine

Piedmontese cooking is rich and refined, with French influences. Antipasti are a ritual: vitello tonnato, veal with tuna sauce, Alba-style raw beef, peppers with bagna cauda, the hot sauce of anchovies, garlic and oil. Among the first courses are agnolotti del plin and egg tajarin, topped in autumn with white Alba truffle. Bollito misto, boiled meats with sauces, beef braised in Barolo and the Piedmontese mixed fry are festive dishes. The cheeses are excellent: Castelmagno, Bra, Raschera, Toma and Robiola di Roccaverano. Piedmont is also the home of gianduja chocolate, grissini breadsticks, baci di dama biscuits and vermouth, born in Turin. The wines are among the greatest in Italy: Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Gavi, Arneis and Moscato d'Asti.

Experiences to enjoy

Going truffle hunting at dawn with a trifolao and his dog in the woods of the Langhe is an unforgettable experience. You can cycle the Barolo wine road, stopping at wineries for tastings, take a boat trip on Lake Maggiore or ride the cable car up the Mottarone to see seven lakes at once. In winter skiing on the Via Lattea and in summer hiking in the Gran Paradiso attract mountain lovers. In Turin, an aperitivo in one of the historic cafés and an evening at the Teatro Regio complete the picture.

When to go and how to get around

Autumn is Piedmont's golden season: from October to November the Langhe change colour, the grapes are harvested, truffles are found and every village holds a food festival. Spring and summer are ideal for the lakes and the mountains, winter for skiing and for Turin, when artistic light installations illuminate the streets. Turin is linked by high-speed rail to Milan and Rome, and regional trains reach Asti, Alba, Cuneo, Novara and Lake Maggiore. For the hills, valleys and villages a car is essential. The main airport is Turin Caselle, but Milan Malpensa is convenient for Lake Maggiore, as is Cuneo Levaldigi for the south.