PIEDMONT, let me guide you!

As I said in the article about Northern Italy, I wanted to dedicate more space to my beloved Piedmont region.

I’d like you to have background knowledge so that once you get here, you will already know what you want to see and focus on!

I’m aware that the lack of sea in Piedmont may let some people down, but we have things that can’t be found in a sea region and lakes, so don’t let prejudice get the better of you!

Piedmont in Italy

First, focus on where is Piedmont, Italy. It is part of Northern Italy, more precisely in northwestern Italy, and is bordered to the west by France (Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions), to the northwest by Valle d’Aosta, to the north by Switzerland (cantons Valais and Ticino), to the east by Lombardy, to the southeast by Emilia-Romagna, and the south by Liguria.

But now, let’s delve into the heart of this article. I will name some destinations you could visit and explain something about them, maybe adding things you would never know if not for a local like me!

Starting from the lake district

Lake Orta

Has a glacial origin, divided between the provinces of Novara and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

A famous spot here is the isle of San Giulio, located about 400 m from the shore. There is a small town in which the most historically significant buildings are the Basilica of St. Julius and Mater Ecclesiae Abbey.

I cannot avoid mentioning the Michelin-starred restaurant Chef Cannavacciuolo’s! This Neapolitan big man came here and fell in love with the Piedmont area so much that he opened a restaurant, mixing Italian dishes with elements of his tradition. The restaurant s called “Villa Crespi,” and you can also sleep there by booking a room!

Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore and its shoreline are divided between Piedmont and Lombardy and the Swiss canton of Ticino. If you get there, you can also see the Sacred Mountain of Ghiffa, a Roman Catholic devotional complex overlooking Lake Maggiore. This Sacro Monte (the Italian word for “Sacred Mountain”) should be included in the UNESCO World Heritage.

In case you are planning a trip to Italy and to the  Piedmonts and you have a large number of days to spend here, I’m telling you a secret: during summer in Mirapuri (it is in Switzerland, so you would need to go out of Piedmont Italy) there is a festival called “The Spirit of Woodstock Festival“: have a look and decide freely!

Lake Viverone

Part of the Ivrea Serra, Europe’s most impressive glacial moraine, the third largest in Piedmont.

An important detail is that not all of the lake can be reached by car; Its southwestern part is wild and natural, an ideal place for birdwatching, rich in vegetation and birdlife, and It can be achieved only on foot or by boat.

Lake Viverone is home to a very ancient underwater prehistoric settlement, which entered the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2011.

Here you can also find the Masino Castle, which lies on the top of a morainic relief rising from the Ivrea Plain and has extended gardens. It can be a nice stop!

Now let’s talk about something else; I don’t want you to think Italy Piedmont is just like “A lake region”!

Fortunately, it’s not difficult for me to find another kind of landscape to describe: Piedmont has a wide variety of those!

The Piedmont Alpine region

It might be good to know that if you are a sporty person and you like skiing, coming here in the winter season won’t disappoint you: we have many mountains and you can go here and have a snow vacation!

I also need to tell you the truth: I’m not a sporty person, and I haven’t practiced skiing since I was a child! But don’t worry; I can assure you I know all the best locations.

Sestriere

Trendy destination for the skiing holidays. It creates the Via Lattea (“Milky Way”) and hosts many people every winter. From there, you can access 146 skiable pistes and about 400 km of snow (natural or artificial). Through time, Sestriere has often been chosen to house essential competitions, such as FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (1997) or World Para Alpine Skiing Championships (2011). Still, you may have heard of it in 2006, with Winter Olympic and Paralympics Games.

You can also go there during summer, but the sports will be different: you could ride a bike or play golf.

Courmayeur

You may have heard about this place before because it’s famous. Many VIPs spend their winter holidays here because of its luxury look. The town is in Valle d’Aosta, so you must leave Piedmont, but I assure you it’s worth it! The village keeps its alpine authenticity through its accommodations and center, where you can shop and stroll. A peculiarity of this place is that once there, you can decide whether to spend an elegant stay (in one of the luxury hotels) or immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the mountains in huts and camping sites.

Cervinia

This is considered the most renowned winter and summer tourist resort in the Alps. It lies at 2,050 m and shares a ski area with Zermatt through the Plateau Rosa glacier. The main difference between Cervinia and the other places I described is that the ski season doesn’t stop at the end of the winter but continues through summer in Plateau Rosa glacier. The sports that can be played are not as different from those in Sestriere, as they are all skiing-related. You can practice Alpine skiing, Cross-country skiing, Snowboard cross, Cycling, bobsleighing, Speed skiing, ing, and Ski touring;

Limone Piemonte

As the name says, this location is in Piedmont, but don’t think of lemons; there is no connection with them! It is a comune in the province of Cuneo, about 100 km from Turin, and it has a famous tunnel called “Col de Tende” that connects Limone with other places, such as Monte Carlo, Nice, and San Remo. Talking about skiing, it is one of the oldest ski resorts in Italy. The main route is the “Riserva Bianca” (White Reserve) which includes 80 km of trails. I have been there many times, my grandparents had a house there, and I used to go every summer: I remember enjoying the town market (on Thursdays, if I’m not mistaken!) and walking through the streets of that pretty little town.

The mountain is also known for its relaxation facilities: for people who like relaxing as much as skiing or, like me, love only one of these things (and I’m not talking about the one where you need to make a physical effort ).

You could do many things to take to the frenetic rhythm of life, but I want to focus on spas. Terme, for example, is very popular. They are primarily found in northern Italy, and the nearest ones are in Turin, Pré Saint Didier, and Courmayeur.

Go for a city Tour.

Okay, I’m done talking about mountains now! As I’m talking about various landscapes, I feel like the moment of cities has come!

If you’ve read up here, you may have noticed that I’m more of a lazy person rather than a sporty one…so it’s easier for me to talk about cities because I see them more often.

As you may already know, Turin is the most crucial city in Piedmont, but I want to talk about it later to give it more attention.

We can talk instead about:

Novara.

The capital city of Novara’s province. A long time ago, the city had a complex of encircling city walls that divided what has now become the historic center from the outside. The walls have been destroyed to urban development; the only thing that remains now is “Barriera Albertina,” used by the people who wanted to travel from Turin to Milan. While looking for information to tell you something more specific about the city, I learned about an exciting festival in September every year: the Novara Gospel Festival. It can be a fun idea!

Alessandria.

This is the capital city of Alessandria’s province. It is between Tanaro and Bormida, two rivers in the alluvial plain. During 1994, Cuneo, Turin, Asti, and Alessandria were heavily affected by a violent flood that caused the Po and Tanaro rivers and many of their tributaries to overflow. This event has stuck in every Piedmontese mind.

Talking about the city itself, the main square is called “Piazza della libertà” (freedom square), and it occupies most of the city center. Alessandria is also a university city. Together with Novara and Vercelli, it hosts the “Università del Piemonte Orientale.”

Asti

Like every city I’m naming, Asti is also the capital city of the namesake province. It is well known for its wines, such as the Asti Spumante or the Barbera d’Asti. If you go there in September, you must understand that “Douja d’Or” takes place every year in this month. The event is organized by the Special Agency for the Promotion and Regulation of the Asti Chamber of Commerce Market to promote the knowledge and appreciation of wine production, educating consumers on the choice of wines. Anyway, the manifestation is not only a showcase of prestigious wines but an essential event with exhibitions, events, meetings, concerts, and fine menus of Piedmont’s signature cuisine;

Cuneo.

This word in Italian means “wedge”: Cuneo has arisen between two rivers, Stura and Gesso, and this conformation created the name for this city. It has a checkerboard system starting from the imaginary wedge’s apex and running along a median street that flows onto the expansive Galimberti Square.

I’ve always thought about Cuneo as a city to be discovered. We are used to visiting Turin because of its considerable popularity, but it’s a surprise every time we come here. On Tuesdays, like clockwork, there is the town market. I love markets, so as soon as I can, I like going there to discover new things that maybe I can’t find in the markets in Alba.

Let’s delve into another topic. I am particularly attached to the Piedmontese hills. We can divide them into three parts: Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato. A little curiosity is that there is some battle between Langhe and Roero. The “langhetti” (Langhe inhabitants) and the “roerini” (Roero inhabitants) are so proud of the zones that they always claim to live in the best of the three parts. If you want to know, I am a roerina, but I had to put my pride aside to make you discover Piemonte through and through! That is so mature of me.

I already talked a lot about these hills, so I’m just telling you the most important things: if you want to know more about them, you can check out my blog. You will find many articles about it and some very characteristic information.

Now I’m explaining to you something about every zone, so you can decide which is the best, according to what suits you best. I won’t get offended, I swear!

Langhe

Starting from here just because of the alphabet): It isn’t easy to find something new to say about them! I base my work on the Piedmont region and its hills, so I think most have already said!

For example, I could list some of the most beautiful things or towns to see. Of course,e things benches are something typical and characteristic. I can name some of the most popular cities, such as La Morra, Serralunga d’Alba, Barolo, Grinzane Cavour, Monforte d’Alba, Barbaresco, and so on; a special mention goes to the food. If you come here, you won’t be disappointed by our typical dishes, but this can also be said for Roero and Monferrato;

Monferrato

It is the part that stays outside this “conflict.” Maybe because of its distance from the other two pieces. If we talk about the province they belong to, we will see that if Langhe and Roero are in Cuneo, Monferrato has many towns related to the area of Asti. Let’s name some of them: Casale Monferrato, Asti, Alessandria, Acqui Terme, Moncalvo, Nizza Monferrato, Sala Monferrato, etc.

A little gem here is Cella Monte. A small suburb recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy!

Roero

Okay, let’s admit it. Langhe beats Roero if we talk about breathtaking sights. They can be in the upper part, so obviously, the views are better. But, in Roero, we have some cities that can be envied by langhetti. For example, we can say that Alba is a Roero city! With Ferrero, its Duomo, its city center, and its romantic atmosphere, Alba is the Roero capital! But we also have Bra! I will open a chapter later on “Cheese” and “Truffle Fair,” two significant events targeted “Roero”!

Some other cities here are Canale, Castellinaldo, Guarene, Govone, and Santo Stefano Roero (just like Langhe’s ones, I don’t think this small list includes all Roero towns).

Italian, Piedmontese cuisine

And now that I described all the landscapes you would find in Piedmont let’s discuss something you expect me to discuss! I am sure you heard about Italian cuisine in your life! Everyone always mentions us as “Italia, Pizza, Pasta Mamma Mia!“. And yes, I could tell you, “This is not everything; we have so much more to say,” but in the end, this stereotype is so traditional that I don’t want to interrupt the trend.

The main typical products you will find in Piedmont are wine (white and red; in every town you visit, you will find at least one winery because we love good wine), hazelnuts (as a Piedmontese, I am a very judgmental person when it comes to hazelnuts. I grew up eating them and admit to being a bit spoiled!) and of course cheese (we are great cheese producers, goat, and cow).

I need to mention Ferrero Alba. It is a huge company that produces snacks that are known worldwide, like Nutella. This is a product that is made of hazelnuts mixed with cocoa. I can’t tell you more because the recipe is aff-limits! We can eat it. What a pity!

Earlier, I was talking about Cheese and Truffle Fair. Well, they are two super important events celebrated here in Piedmont. Cheese takes place in Bra; this year will be September. It’s a slow food event where several cheese producers come from all across Italy to sponsor their products. It’s a big party!

Truffle fair is in Alba and usually starts in October and lasts till the first days of November. It is fair so that you will find lots of blankets. Differently from Cheese, here you won’t find truffles (It would be impossible because they are so hard to find!), but also many other typical products! The city is lively this month, with events like the Palio.

Focus on Turin

Okay, the moment has now come! Let’s talk about Torino, the most crucial Piedmontese city.

Up to 2023, it counts 836805 inhabitants, with many students and workers from all over Italy. Torino can boast of many high-level universities and factories that attract people and make them come to live here.

Like most of the cities, it has neighborhoods that give the town a variety of environments. We usually consider only the city center, but after strolling in those streets several times, I decided it was the moment to discover something else, so I pushed myself into some unknown avenues and found a new Torino! For example, there are a lot of ethnic neighborhoods in which you will immerse in a completely different style from the Italian one. You can find ethnic restaurants in the center, but I suggest looking!

Turin is also the place in which the main events take place. If you want to see a concert by your favorite singer, you should go to Turin. The most prominent singers sometimes have just one date in Italy, and they choose Milan, but in most cases, a date is arranged in Turin.

In Turin, we also have two football teams and so two stadiums. If you are a football lover or want to see where the most watched sport here in Italy is played, visiting could be a good idea!

Every day during the year, you can casually participate in events or see unexpected things. For example, last week, I was strolling in the city center when I saw a camera crew filming two people on a carriage, all dressed in the 1800s. I didn’t know what they were doing, but I discovered they were filming for the second season of “Lidia Poët,” a Netflix series about the first female lawyer from Turin.

Activities: some ideas!

Since many of you come to Italy and Piedmont during the summer, let me tell you what you could do. Slowdays organizes many activities, but trekking and bike tours are more suitable for you!

With trekking, you will discover Piedmontese landscapes walking through country roads or vineyards! I know that the hot temperatures here might be an obstacle, but it is sufficient to be organized, and let me say we are ready for this!

If you choose a bike tour (or e-bike tour), you will cover considerable distances, allowing you to see more. You already know the difference between a bike and an e-bike: if you are concerned about the heat, go for an e-bike!

I will let you with advance notice: the following article will be about three vacation ideas in Piedmont we could organize for you!

For this article, I said enough about the Piedmont region of Italy; stay tuned for the next ones!