Piemonte: Italy’s beautiful little secret

Piedmont is not one of Italy’s best known regions. Tucked up in the northwest of the country, bordered by France and Switzerland, and ringed by mountains, it has always been known amongst oenophiles and foodies for its magnificent wines, such as Barolo, or its truffles in the autumn, but perhaps has not been thought of as a ‘destination’ in its own right; perhaps more of a transit region to pass through on the way to somewhere else.

Where, exactly?

The region of Piedmont is 9,808 sq mi making it the second largest region of Italy after Sicily. It has a population of 4.3m people and is comprised of eight provinces, each with a principle town or city. They are Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Torino, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, and Vercelli. The climate across the plain and Langhe / Monferrato wine regions, i.e. away from the mountains in the lower part of the region, is formally defined as ‘humid subtropical’ – the Italian Riviera is only 30 miles away. Summers are long, hot and increasingly very dry. Autumn tends to be very pleasant, with warm days and plenty of sunshine. Each of the provincial capitals and regions has something different to offer.

Notable towns and regions

Asti is our nearest large town and is a beautiful place with a lovely central piazza-Piazza Roma - where you can enjoy a coffee or spritz, and a browse a good selection of shops and restaurants. Sections of the original Roman city wall have been excavated, and there are many fine examples of mediaeval palaces and houses, as well as some of the original towers, of which there were once over 100. This includes Tower of the Comentini (13th century), the octagonal Torre de Regibus and Torre Troyana (13th century), as well as the ancient Torre Rossa, built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus.

Alessandria is the largest city after Turin and is a busy place; a travel hub, with good shopping and restaurants. It also has the Cittadella, the original fortified building, built during the Spanish Succession to increase security of the town and region in the 1700’s.

Biella is located close to the foothills of the alps in the far north of province, and includes ski resorts and the Sacred Mountain of Oropa, a beautiful Catholic devotional complex of buildings built by the Romans and a world heritage site.

Cuneo is another busy provincial town, and includes the striking cultural highlights of the Royal Castle of Racconigi, a hangover from the rule of House of Savoy, as well as the equally beautiful Castello della Manta that includes masterpieces of late Gothic painting in its Baronial Hall.

Novara, in the North West is the second most populated city after Turin. The city was founded by the Romans around 80 BC and has numerous historic sights and places of cultural interest. These are mainly concentrated in the historic centre which contains the most important buildings, including the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, built in 1888. It is distinguished by a magnificent dome that stands proud of the city, visible for miles around.

Tucked against the mountains in the far north of the region, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola contains both lake Orta, a little jewel of a place, and the western boarder of Lake Maggiore. It is a beautiful alpine region, with forests leading to the foothills of the alps.

Situated in the plain of the river Po, Vercelli is home of rice production in Italy, and is famous for its risotto’s. The city is also home to the first publicly funded University, founded in 1228 and also contains many relics of dating to the Roman era.

And of course…Turin

The capital city of Piedmont. Walking around it you could find yourself thinking of Paris, as many of the buildings and wide streets, especially in the centre, have a very French feel – squares and boulevards and colonnades to stride in. The influence of our close neighbour, and the former House of Savoy, is everywhere.

The city has a wonderful café culture and many beautiful historic buildings to visit and cultural highlights to enjoy, including the world famous Egyptian and Film museums, the latter housed in Turin’s prominent duomo. The shopping is also pretty good. Turin was the birthplace of grissini (bread sticks) and also Vermouth, Gorgonzola and Fontina.

For food lovers, Turin has its own version of aperitivo and the ciccetti of Venice, called Stuzzichini – literally ‘taste teasers’. These small bites are designed to go with a drink and usually involve anchovies (a key part of regional cuisine) olives, bread sticks, salami, cheeses, omelettes rolled with fillings and focaccia. A must do is to go to café Gelateria Pepino in Piazza Carignano and order a bicerin – a delicious combination of coffee, chocolate and cream. You can sip it sitting opposite Palazzo Corignano, the beautiful building that was, briefly, the first parliament building of Italy, when Turin was the country’s capital city.

Combining food and politics, Italy’s first Prime Minister Cavour had achieved his goal of Italian independence and unification in 1861 and with the Palazzo as his office, his favourite restaurant was opposite and he would sit here daily, with one eye on the balcony of the Palazzo in case he was called back for urgent business. It is a beautiful location in the city, and a place where you can really soak up its atmosphere and people watch.