Piedmont

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The name Piemonte is a contraction of the Italian “Ai piedi del monte”, meaning “At the base of the mountain”.

Location

Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps, including the Monviso (Mont Vis), where the Po rises, and the Monte Rosa. It borders with France, Switzerland and the Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Aosta Valley.

Geography

27% Lowland 43% Mountain 30% Hill

The Geography of Piedmont is that of a territory predominantly mountainous, 43.3%, but with extensive areas of hills which represent 30.3% of the territory, and of plains (26.4%). Piedmont is the second largest of the 20 administrative regions of Italy, after Sicily. It is broadly contiguous with the upper part of the drainage basin of the river Po which rises from the slopes of Monviso in the west of the region and is Italy’s largest river. The Po collects all the waters provided within the semicircle of mountains (Alps and Apennines) which surround the region on three sides. From the highest peaks the land slopes down to hilly areas, (not always, though, sometimes there is a brusque transition from the mountains to the plains) and then to the upper, and then the lower the great Padan Plain. The boundary between the first and the second is characterised by risorgive, springs typical of the pianura padana which supply fresh water both to the rivers and to a dense network of irrigation canals. The countryside, then, is very varied: one passes from the rugged peaks of the massifs of Monte Rosa and of Gran Paradiso (national park), to the damp rice paddies of the Vercellese and Novarese; from the gentle hillsides of the Langhe and of Montferrat to the plains, often polluted and studded with a mixture of farms and industrial concerns. The percentage of the territory which is a protected area is 7.6%. There are 56 different national or regional parks. One such park is the Gran Paradiso National Park (Grand Paradis).

Climate

In the Piedmont Region, winter daytime temperatures normally range from the upper 30’s to the upper 40s. Summer daytime temperatures range from the high 70’s to the low 90’s. The state has a fairly wet climate with an average precipitation for this area averaging 44-52 inches (112-132 centimeters). North Carolina has a temperate climate with mild winters and long fall and spring months. Summers can be hot and humid, especially in the piedmont and coastal plain region, which don’t get relief from coastal breezes or higher elevations. The mountains tend to be substantially cooler and receive some winter snow.

Major Cities

(ranked in order of population)

Comune Population (2006 est.)

Turin 900,608
Novara 102,817
Alessandria 91,593
Asti 73,734
Moncalieri 55,983
Cuneo 54,817
Rivoli 5 0,213

Turin (Torino) was the first capital of modern Italy
Alba – is the entrance to the Langhe. Founded by the Romans, its historical centre still remains inside ancient Roman walls. Alba is best known for its elegant wines and exotic truffles as well as the home of Nutella Chocolate spread.
Acqui Terme – a beautiful Roman town famous for its hot sulphur springs and ancient baths.
Asti – center of the Piedmont wine area, an important medieval republic known as â€œCity of 100 Towersâ€, of which around 15 still stand in the old historical walled city. The Palio di Asti, Italy’s oldest Palio is held here every September in conjunction with the Douja D’Or wine festival and the Sagre Festival.
Bardonecchia – mountain town with main focus of skiing, also the Italian entrance to the Frejus Tunnel which connects to France.
Barolo – a small town south of Alba, world famous for its red wine
Biella – a small town with a strong tradition in wool and clothes production
Bra – city situated midway between Cuneo and Turin, on the edge of the Langhe near the Tanaro river. It is one of the main centres of the Piedmontese Baroque style with its many churches and palaces of the 17th and 18th century. Bra is also in the heart of the so-called food valley, and the seat of a University of Gastronomic Science.
Verbania
Cuneo – Piedmont’s largest province, one of the main centres of Italian Resistance during World War 2

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The Langhe, Monferrato and Roero hills lie in the centre of Piedmont and are a mixture of limestone and sandstone deposits laid down by the retreating Adriatic 3 million years ago, now cut by numerous river valleys and the area of most of Piedmont’s wines.

The Langhe – to the south and west of the river Tanaro famous for its wines, and for its truffles. The hills of the Langhe contain Piedmont’s finest vineyards. The grapes grown in this region are primarily nebbiolo, dolcetto and barbera. The nebbiolo grape is used to make the renowned Piedmontese red wines Barolo and Barbaresco. Within the Langhe are famous wine towns such as Barolo, La Morra, Monforte, Serralunga d’Alba and Barbaresco.

Monferrato – extending from Turin to the eastern border of Alessandria, bounded by the Po river to the north and merging into the Langhe in the South. The Monferatto is divided into Northern and Southern areas with Asti in the centre. This area is is also a well known wine area particularly for Barbera d’Asti, as well as less known varieties such as Fresia, Grignolino, Brachetto, Malavasia and Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato. The Monferrato is also famous for its white truffles found in Autumn and celebrated in local festivals each Sunday.

Roero – the hills situated on the West Bank of the Tanaro river between Alba and Asti. The sandier soil produces light Nebbiolo wines as well as Piedmont’s best white variety the Arneis. The area is also famous for its honey; there is a beekeeping trail you can walk, as well as peaches (check the local markets in summer and autumn). And then there is the Eco-museum of the Roero rocks, or the great path of the Roero a hiking trail stretching from Cisterna to Bra which incorporates the Roero rocks, ancient lime and sandstone cliffs.

Pinerolo
Saluzzo
Candelo – fortified village of XIII century near Biella
Susa
Colletto Fava – the hill with the giant pink bunny.
Alessandria
Novato
Vercelli
Lake Maggiore
Lake Orta{/slide}

Distances:

What to do

Ski areas

There are a number of well known ski resorts in Piedmont Alpine region

Resorts

The Milky Way ski area is one of the biggest areas in Europe and encompasses the following resorts.

Sestriere -location of the Winter Olympics
Sauze D’Oulx
Claviere

Bardonecchia is another large ski area and was host to the 2006 Winter Olympic snowboarding events.

What to See:

Mole Antonelliana. A spectacular building in Turin originally built as a synagogue but now housing the National Cinema Museum. edit
Museo Egizio. In Turin, the second most important Egyptian museum in the world, second only to the one in Cairo

Cuisine

Piedmont is a region where seasonal gathering of nuts, fungi, cardoons as well as seasonal hunting (especially wild game) and fishing takes place. Truffles, garlic, seasonal vegetables, cheese and rice are all used in this region. Wines from the Nebbiolo grape such as Barolo andBarbaresco are produced as well as wines from the Barbera grape, fine sparkling wines, and the sweet, lightly sparkling, Moscato d’Asti. Castelmagno is a prized cheese of the region. Filetto Baciato is the regions style of prosciutto made from pork fillet or other lean portion of pork marinated in white wine, coated with a salami paste and stuffed into a casing to age for six months.

Risotto alla piemontese – risotto cooked with meat broth and seasoned with nutmeg, parmesan and truffle
Paniscia di Novara a dish based on rice with borlotti beans, salame and vegetables
Bagna cauda – A hot dip based on anchovies, olive oil and garlic blanched in milk, to accompain vegetables (either raw or cooked), meat or fried polenta sticks
Carne cruda all’Albese – steak tartare with truffles
Vitello tonnato – veal in tuna sauce
Bollito misto

Drinks

Piedmont is well known for its great wines, particularly Barolo and Barbaresco but also Dolcetto, Arneis, Freisa, Gavi and others. Most vineyards are on the Langhe hills around Asti, Alessandria and Alba, but the passion for strong red wines has spread among the entire territory.

Travel Links

Politics

The Politics of Piedmont

The Regional Government (Giunta Regionale) is presided by the President of the Region (Presidente della Regione), who is elected for a five-year term and is composed by the President and the Ministers, who are currently 14, including a Vice President (Vice Presidente). In the last regional election, which took place on 3-4 April 2005, Mercedes Bresso (Democrats of the Left, then Democratic Party) defeated incumbentEnzo Ghigo (Forza Italia). However, at the April 2008 Italian national election, Piedmont gave 46.8% of its votes to the Centre-Right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi.