In order to understand what to see in Piedmont, you can start with its geography, already contained in its name. From the Latin Pedemontium, 'at the foot of the mountain', the region is embraced by the Alps and the Apennines. Beyond the belt of mountains, however, extend the hills, a Unesco heritage site, of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato. And, again, slipping down to the Po Valley, you will find the checkered sea of rice paddies. Lakes, including Lake Maggiore and Lake D'Orta, complete an extraordinary natural picture. This colourful territory is home to just as much liveliness. From literature to gastronomy, from architecture to sports, from art to wine-growing, there is no activity that Piedmont has not sublimated, embedding the most diverse excellences in its environment. At the centre of such a marvel is Turin. Italy's first capital in 1861, the capital city bears the legacies of a noble past. And with its regal aura, it is emblematic of a land of many facets and a single, authentic soul.
What to see in Piedmont starting from Turin
Due to its geographical location and its primacy, Turin is an ideal destination and starting point for discovering Piedmont. It is the only Italian city to have been elected Unesco Design City (a part of the Creative Cities Network), as well as being the capital of contemporary art, Automotive and Aerospace and the city with the largest number of historic cafés in Italy. Among the greenest metropolises in Europe, Turin also boasts 40 museums, 18 kilometres of arcades and a myriad of restaurants and piole where you can taste the real Piedmont. The list of attractions in the city is long. Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Madama, Galleria Sabauda are enough to take a plunge into the past. Culture, then, permeates the entire city. It ranges from cinema, culminating in the National Museum of Cinema, inside the Mole Antonelliana, to history, which finds its greatest fulfilment in the Egyptian Museum, second in the world after Cairo in terms of quantity and value of exhibits.
Nature, events, sport and leisure
From Turin, it’s a short way to the Gran Paradiso National Park and some of Italy's most beautiful valleys. The well-preserved territories where the environment takes centre stage stretch from the west to the east of the Piedmont Alps. Nature in which to get lost, ski, practice water sports in the lakes and engage in active tourism. The same environmental characteristics inspire sports. And indeed, Piedmont is increasingly becoming the venue for major international sporting events, from the Olympics to ATP tennis. Additionally, a large part of the territory lends itself to a wide variety of outdoor activities, such as itineraries to discover the natural beauty, landscapes, culture and history of Piedmont. Villages, lakes, historic mountain routes (to date 69 spread over five provinces), five wine routes are just some of the most attractive proposals that Piedmont presents in a continuum of beauty.
Culture, food and wine, experiences and the long list of what to see in Piedmont
What to see in Piedmont, but also what to feel: culture, for example, can be breathed in at every step. Home of the Book Fair, hosted annually in Turin, the region also boasts a rich heritage of medieval castles, churches, museums and Unesco heritage sites, including the circuit of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy and the Seven Sacred Mountains. The true flavour of Piedmont can be discovered through food. 30,000 wineries and 14 regional wine shops give a sense of wine culture in the region, where, in addition to Barolo, king of Italian wines, whites, such as Roero Arneis, and vermouth, which originated in Piedmont and brought to life the aperitivo tradition, are produced. The wine tourism routes are uncountable. They are lost in the streets of this magical land, which smells of unique local products, from the white truffle of Alba to hazelnuts, from PDO cheeses to gianduiotto. The unique taste of what is eternal.
