- Description
- Features
- Request Information
Description
The name ‘Piemonte‘ (Piedmont) literally means in Italian “at the foot of the mountains” with its capital Torino (Turin) lying in the valley at the foot of the magnificent snow capped Alps. This is a bonus for ski lovers. This region is rich in many areas, from great food and wine to magnificent historical buildings as it was the land of kings – the Savoia with Torino being the original capital of Italy.
Some of the charming towns in Piemonte are Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Vercelli and Verbania. Each one is particular and has its own history, which could be discovered by walking, visiting the museums or simply by admiring the skyline at sunset.
Piemonte has retained a genuine rural culture and the Piemontese are closely allied to their rural traditions: dairy farming from which they produce wonderful cheeses such as Robbiola, Toma and Castelmagno, hazelnut plantations, truffles and of course vineyards.
Autumn has always been the richest season for the Langhe, land of Barolo wine and of truffles. See the well-cultivated vineyards in the Alba Monferrato Wine Region, land of the ‘White’ truffle. After the grapes have been harvested the farmers go hunting for truffles…. See when the truffle fairs are on…. We can give you the list!!
You’ll admire the slow flow of time and enjoy the experience that will caress your mind for a long time. Here the countryside is gentle, drawn from the most precious vineyards of Italy, cradles of the great wines famous throughout the world and kept in the historic cellars. And then the old roads, already traversed in the Middle Ages, the hilltop villages, the castles, the eno-gastronomic tradition, the sinuous horizons. These are the Langhe, UNESCO World Heritage; lands which breathe at a different rate during the changing seasons, destination for a getaway in the hills embraced by the Alps and the nearby Ligurian Sea.
Chocolate was produced in Torino even before Switzerland, and chocolatiers Giroldi and Giuliano were already famous in 1700 where their shop in Via Doragrossa, Torino served hot chocolate to faithful customers.
It is also not a coincidence that the land that produces a great wine also produces a great cuisine. Cooking for the court in the past has produced a long line of great chefs. Also the Slow Food Movement started in Arignola, Torino in 1986 and the head office now in Bra has opened a university of gastronomic science.
The Alps of Piemonte are on three sides and a glimpse of the Ligurian Sea from the peaks of the Alessandrian Apennines. The Piemonte mountains are an irresistible attraction for outdoor enthusiasts, with peaks exceeding 4,000 meters, from Monte Rosa to the massif of Gran Paradiso and Monviso, the “King of Stone”, emblem of the Cuneo Alps. At 4,554 meters on Punta Gnifetti, in the Rosa massif, the Capanna Margherita Refuge is the highest in Europe and among the highest fixed observatories in the world. And at 4,559 meters rises the Alta Valsesia Natural Park, the highest protected natural area in Europe.