Quick Guide to Piemonte region, Italy
The Piedmont (Piemonte) region is in north-western Italy, bordered by the Alps to the north and sharing a border with the tiny Italian region of Valle d’Aosta and Switzerland. To the west it borders France, to the south is Liguria (Piedmont is landlocked, but the northern Mediterranean and Gulf of Liguria are just a few kilometres away. To the east is Lombardy and Lake Maggiore. The principle city of Piedmont is the industrial powerhouse of Turin. Other main towns in this mountainous region (Piemonte translates as ‘foothill’) are much smaller, including Asti, Cuneo, Novara, Alba, Saluzzo, Vercelli, Verbania, Moncalieri, Rivoli, Alessandria and Acqui Terme.
Piedmont is the second-largest region in Italy, with eight provinces, but only the sixth most populous. Piedmont is perhaps one of the least ‘Italian’ of the regions, with very strong ties to France. French was the main language here until the turn of the 20th century, and the dialects are still heavily influenced by the language. The capital, Turin (Torino) was for many centuries the centre of the House of Savoy - the Dukes of Savoy were also kings of Sardinia from the 18th century, though Piedmont became the starting point for Italy’s unification in the mid-1800s.
Today, Piedmont is famous for wintersports, and was host to the 2006 Winter Olympics. When the snows melt in summer, the mountains make superb walking and hiking country: 7.6 per cent of Piedmont is protected countryside, with 56 national parks, the most famous being the Gran Paradiso. Piedmont is also lush agricultural land, with much of the lower plains being given over to paddy fields, and the uplands boasting some fine wine-growing areas. Piedmont in fact produces a surprising mixture of sparkling whites and full-bodied reds: famous names include Barbaresco, Barolo and Barbera, as well as the rather unfairly reviled Asti Spumante.
The food has strong ties with France too, with Mediterranean olive oil being replaced by cream and butter in cooking. Sauces are thicker, fondue is on the menu, and Piemonte is world-famous for the white truffle, with Alba the truffle centre (and with truffle festivals based around the trade and the season).
Communications are good, with Turin (Torino) International Airport, and the smaller airport at Cuneo. Turin is, of course, a major road network hub. The A6 heads south to the Ligurian coast and the A21 and A4 east into Lombardy (and to Milan). The A5 heads north through the region to the Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) tunnel to France, one of a number of connections to mainland Europe, into France and Switzerland. Piedmont has a good rail network, with interchanges at Alba, Asti, Turin, Cuneo and Turin among others.
Turin is a lovely city to visit. Despite its manufacturing muscle, as home to Fiat and Olivetti, Lavazza and Martini, it has a baroque centre of real charm. Turin is famous for its coffee and pastry shops, and has some superb shopping. There is the National Cinema Museum, the Cathedral of St John the Baptist (home to the Turin Shroud) and the Egyptian Museum. It has two major soccer teams, in Torino FC and of course Juventus.
The countryside of Piemonte is spectacular of course. The Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso (in the west and straddling the border with Valle d’Aosta) was Italy’s first national park, a superb chunk of Alpine Europe, home to chamois, golden eagles and ibex. Further south (and just west of Turin) the abbey of Sacra di San Michele is a stunning sight, perched atop a rocky outcrop. As you head south along the French border, you encounter Piedmont’s main ski resorts, including Sestriere, Suze D’Oulx and Bardonecchia.
Head south of Turin to the delightful Renaissance town of Saluzzo. Further east, and you come to the hills of Le Langhe and the town of Alba, with Italy’s best truffle country and superb wines, including Barolo and Nebbiolo. Asti, of course, is famous for sparkling white wines.
Head into northern Piedmont and we are back in spectacular Alpine scenery. The peak of Monte Rosa straddles the Swiss border, and there are the sanctuaries of Sacro Monte at Varallo and Santuario d’Oropa at Biella. Into the north-east of the region and Varallo sees the beginning of steep wooded hillsides, very pretty countryside. The valleys that head east out of Valle d’Aosta here evoke Switzerland more than Italy. There are the peaks of the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa and the valleys of Aosta, Val Gressoney, Val d’Ayas and Valtournenche. There are good ski resorts here too, including Champoluc.
Among the dozens of major fairs and festivals and local village feste (many around traditional times of celebration such as harvest, Christmas, New Year and Easter) these are some of the big ones. February sees Asti’s Carnival, Castellamonte’s carnival festival and parade, Chivasso’s night-time carnival parade, Domodossola’s historic carnival, and Ivrea’s historic carnival and the battle of the oranges. March sees Quaranti’s chickpea and Barbera festa.
In April, Varallo hosts the Procession of the Seven Marys. May sees the medieval tournaments at Cuorgne, and Oglianico’s Ides of May (another medieval pageant), while Nizza Monferrato hosts the Corsa delle Botti. June sees the re-enactment of the Siege of Canelli in that town, and Mombaruzzo has its minestrone and torta verde festa. August sees the traditional donkey race in Premosello/Chiovenda, while Quaranti: hosts the Calice di Stelle. Maranzana has its Festa dello Spumante. September in Asti sees the Palio and Games, and the Festival of Festivals.
October and Acqui Terme has its Cavalcata Aleramica (another palio-style historic horse race), Alba has the truffle festival and Castagnole Monferrato celebrates the grape harvest; it also hosts its own Palio. In November, San Sebastiano Curone has its truffle festival, and Alessandria hosts the Festa di San Bardolino, while Nizza Monferrato has its Fiera di San Carlo. A highlight of December is the ice nativity scene each year in Alagna.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
