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Piedmont
The Piedmont region is found in the north-west of Italy, near the French and Swiss borders, bringing to the traveller the best of the European continent.
It is no small surprise then that the regional capital of Torino (Turin) had the distinction of just recently hosting the Winter Olympic Games in 2006, as well as the Olympics for university students worldwide, called the Universiades, in 2007.
The region is bounded on its three sides by the soaring mountains of the Alps mountain range. Locals regularly face the scenic vistas of the Monviso (Mont Vis), where the Po River rises, and Monte Rosa. Aside from Italian and the Alpine dialects, French is also commonly spoken by the locals.
Piedmont is a haven for nature-lovers. The monarchy of old has instilled in the Piedmontese a strong heritage for natural beauty and art. In fact, formerly the king’s hunting reserves in the Renaissance period, 7.6% of the region’s territory is protected area. The most famous national park and protected area is the Gran Paradiso (Grand Paradise). There are over 50 other wildlife parks and natural reserves in the region.
Roman settlers have long known the region to also be a fertile agricultural region, particularly in the lowland areas, with its robust harvests of wheat, rice, maize and wine grapes.
The passion for strong red wines is present among the entire territory; in fact, Asti, the center of Piedmont wine area , is known in discerning circles to be one of the viticulture capitals of the country. More than half of the total area of the region’s vineyards are registered with DOC designations, famed for wines of substance such as Barbera, Barolo, Barbaresco and Moscato.
Guests to the region are invited to try the rustic food that accompanies such full-bodied wines, such as the bollito misto (a mixture of beef and pork boiled with vegetables and eaten with a variety of sauces).
