Piedmont
From Wikitravel
Contents
- For other places with the same name, see Piedmont (disambiguation).
Piedmont (Italian: Piemonte) is a region in the northwest of Italy, next to the border with France. The main city is Turin (Italian: Torino), which was host to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps, including the Monviso, where the Po River rises, and the Monte Rosa. It borders with France, Switzerland and the Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Aosta Valley.
The area is justly famous for its wines, which include some of the best produced from Italy such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto and Moscato D'Asti, its local cuisine reknown throughout Italy and the precious white truffles of this region which have been compared to gold because of their cost and delicacy..
[edit] Regions
Administratively, Piedmont consists of the following provinces:
- Alessandria
- Asti
- Biella
- Cuneo
- Novara
- Turin
- Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
- Vercelli
Geographically, Piedmont also includes the distinct regions of Langhe, Monferrato and Roero Hills, which 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:
- Langhe - in Cuneo Province to the south and west of the river Tanaro famous for its wines, and for its truffles. The hills of 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 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 Langhe in the south. The Monferrato 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; it is also known for one of the rare white wines of the region: the Gavi. 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 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.
[edit] Cities
- Turin (Torino) - the first capital of modern Italy
- Alba - 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.
- Alessandria - city 90km southeast of Turin, the capital of Alessandria Province.
- 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 “City of 100 Towers”, 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.
- Cuneo - capital of Piedmont's largest province, one of the main centres of Italian "Resistenza" during World War 2.
- Verbania - city next to Lake Maggiore
[edit] Other destinations
- Candelo - fortified village of XIII century near Biella
- Colletto Fava - the hill with the giant pink bunny.
- Lake Maggiore -
- Lake Orta -
- Novato -
- Pinerolo -
- Saluzzo -
- Susa -
- Vercelli -
[edit] Understand
Piedmont people are probably the most shy in Italy. Their understatement and lack of emotional behavior is often something that other Italians laugh at. This region has been the industrial heart of Italy since 1800, even though nowadays it's experiencing some economic difficulty connected with deindustrialization.
The Monarchy has left strong heritage across the region, particularly in wide natural parks (former king's hunting reserves) and in XVIII and XIX century buildings.
[edit] Talk
Piedmontese is spoken by about 2-3 million people throughout Piedmont. However, Italian dominates everyday communication.
In 2004, Piedmontese was recognised as Piedmont's regional language by the regional parliament, although the Italian government does not recognise it. It has, however, been recognized as a separate language by the European Union. It is supposed to be taught to children in school, but this is happening only in a limited way.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
Piedmont is well served by airports.
Caselle Airport (TRN) [1] in Turin is the main airport of Piedmont. It has regular flights with main European hubs and Italian cities operated by major airlines as well as low fares companies.
Milan has three airports:
- The international hub is Malpensa (MXP) [2] which is the top Italian airport in terms of international traffic. It has direct connections with railway and highway networks. The airport is connected to Milan by the Milano-Varese highway as well by a dedicated train called "Malpensa Express". It is also connected to Linate Airport by a scheduled bus service.
- Linate Airport (LIN) [3] is the closest airport to Milan’s city centre and is well served by domestic and short-haul international carriers. It has easy access to the local highway network and is connected to Malpensa Airport by a scheduled bus service.
- Orio al Serio (BGY) [4] (Phone number: +39035326323) is located nearer to Bergamo and serves the low-cost traffic of Milan.
To the south is Cristoforo Colombo Airport (GOA) [5] in Genoa which is served by domestic and short-haul international carriers.
Another option is Levaldigi Airport (CUF) [6] in Cuneo, but it has a very limited number of flights and very few connections other than private car.
[edit] By train
- From Swiss through Domodossola
[edit] By car
- From France through the Frejus Tunnel, Ventimiglia or Tenda Pass or via Mt Blanc tunnel and Val D'Aosta;
from France, the Montgenèvre road (RN 94/ SS 24) from Briançon to Cesana Torinese in Italy is very good (above all on the italian side), always open during winter and free.
- From Swiss through Sempione, or St Bernhard, Saint Gothard and other minor passes
- From the other parts of Italy by A4 Turin - Trieste, A21 Turin - Piacenza or A6 Turin - Savona highways
[edit] Get around
Although some local bus and train service exists, the best way to tour the Piedmont is by car, especially for tourists who want to venture outside Turin and a few other large cities.
[edit][add listing] See
The region has numerous interesting museums, some of the best are found in Turin including Museo Egizio, the second most important Egyptian museum in the world, and National Cinema Museum, most famed for the spectacular building.
[edit][add listing] Do
[edit] Ski areas
There are a number of well known ski resorts in Piedmont Alpine region
[edit] 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.
Macugnaga and Alagna Val Sesia in the V.C.O. (Verbano, Cusio, Ossola) province (North-east of the Region).
Limone Piemonte and Prato Nevoso in the province of Coni.
[edit][add listing] Eat
If you can, try the Bollito Misto and Fritto Misto. These are two very traditional dishes and you may only be able to find them in old restaurants far from the tourist circuit. The Bollito Misto is a mix of beef and pork meat boiled with vegetables and eaten with a variety of sauces. The Fritto Misto is a mixture of fried meats and vegetables. Another very typical meal is Bagna Cauda: it consists of a hot garlic sauce eaten with raw vegetables. Try also the "Paniscia vercellese" a typical dish from Vercelli made with rice, beans and susages. You can eat also fried frogs and good fishes from lake and rivers.
[edit][add listing] Drink
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 and Alba and on Monferrato other hills between Alba an Alessandria, but the passion for strong red wines has spread among the entire territory. Try also beers (Menabrea) and aromated wines (Vermuths).
[edit][add listing] Sleep
NorthItaly.eu
Initalia.it (also in english).
Near Cortazzone (AT) naturist village and camping "Villaggio del Sole" via per Viale 5; see www.assonatura.it.
[edit] Stay safe
Piedmont is generally a very safe place.
[edit] Get out
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