IT - Piedmont

Piedmont is a region of northwestern Italy.

What see
Roman era – Porta Palatina and via XX Settembre in Turin. Libarna excavations at Serravalle Scrivia. Excavations of Augusta Bagiennorum in the Cuneo area.
Romanesque art – Romanesque is well documented in Piedmont. Cathedral of Casale Monferrato. Church of San Giorgio in Valperga and those of San Bartolomeo and Beata Vergine Assunta in Villadossola. In the Asti area the abbey of Vezzolano, Pieve di San Lorenzo in Montiglio Monferrato, the church of Saints Nazario and Celso in the surroundings of Montechiaro and the church of San Secondo in Cortazzone. The most evocative examples are the abbey of Saints Nazario and Celso in Novarese and the Basilica of San Giulio on the homonymous island in Lake Orta. Sacra di San Michele in transition style from Romanesque to Gothic and the same applies to Gabiano Castle.
Gothic art Examples of Gothic are the Cathedral of Asti, the basilica of Sant’Andrea in Vercelli, the cathedral of Chieri, the church of San Giovanni in Saluzzo and those of San Marco and Santa Maria delle Grazie in Varallo. The abbey of Sant’Antonio di Ranverso has frescoes by Giacomo Jaquerio
XV – XVI centuries – Examples of Renaissance architecture are Castle of San Genuario in Crescentino in the Vercellese and the church of San Cristoforo in Vercelli
XVII – XVIII centuries – Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella (Lake Maggiore). Examples of rococo are the royal palace of Venaria Reale.
19th – 20th centuries – The cathedrals of Novara and Alessandria are examples of neoclassicism together with the Royal castle of Racconigi.
A more complete list of the main religious monuments of Piedmont can be found in the related topic.

Territories and tourist destinations.
Piedmont Alps – The western and northern borders of Piedmont are entirely occupied by the Alps, which in the Piedmont section are divided, from South to North and clockwise, into the Maritime Alps, Cozie, Graie and Pennine, up to the western coast of the Lake Maggiore (shared with Lombardy in the east and Switzerland in the north). The Piedmont Alps have some of the most important Alpine peaks, including Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso (whose top is nevertheless located in Val d’Aosta) and Monviso, source of the Po river.
The region’s interest in winter tourism is ensured by internationally renowned ski resorts, many of which hosted the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Of particular importance are the naturalistic and historical-cultural attractions, which make the environment alpine a destination suitable for all seasons: the Piedmontese alpine arc hosts, among others, the Maritime Alps Natural Park (Cuneo) and the Gran Paradiso Park (Turin), as well as some of the most important monuments in the history of art and world architecture, such as the Sacra di San Michele, overhanging the Val di Susa, and the Sacro Monte di Varallo, not far from Lake Orta.

The Piedmontese stretch of the Alps also hosts important passes and passes towards France, such as the E74 road of Col di Tenda and the E70 of Frejus, at the bottom of the Val di Susa.
      Piedmont hills – The area includes a large section of southern Piedmont and extends from the eastern part of the province of Cuneo to the southwestern part of the province of Alessandria. From the west to the east, the Piedmont hilly area includes the territories of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, continuing towards the south-eastern part of the Alessandria province with the Tortonese hills, which develop around the homonymous city. The typicality of the hilly landscapes of Lower Piedmont, characterized by a centuries-old interaction between anthropic crops (the vine above all), woods and small villages rich in history, has recently allowed the Wine Landscapes of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato to be recognized as World Heritage Humanity, with resolution of 22 June 2014, during the 38th session of the UNESCO committee in Doha. The main urban centers in the area are Bra, Alba, Canelli, Nizza Monferrato, Asti and Casale Monferrato.
      Piedmontese Apennines – The Piedmontese section of the Apennines extends in the southern area of ​​the province of Alessandria. The Erro and Scrivia valleys form the backbone. Acqui Terme and Ovada are the main access points to the region, which in its southern part borders on the province of Genoa.
      Piedmont Po Valley – Novara and Vercelli north of the Po, Alessandria, Casale Monferrato and Tortona south of the river are the main cities of the Piedmont plain.
To the west and north Piedmont is surrounded by the Alps, to the south by the Apennines, to the east by the Po Valley.

Territories of Lower Piedmont
Monferrato – Territory mainly hilly, Monferrato extends south of the Po to the northern side of the Ligurian Apennines. It is an eminently wine region, renowned for the production of red wines such as Barbera, Dolcetto, Grignolino, Freisa and Ruché, and dessert whites such as Moscato, Asti, Malvasia and Brachetto. The centuries-old cultivation of the vine has left an indelible mark both on the surface, with the large extensions of vineyards interspersed with hazel groves, wheat fields and woods, and in the basements, with the infernotti of the Basso Monferrato Casalese and the “Underground Cathedrals”, large cellars parts of the Nizza Monferrato and Canelli area. The recognition of the wine-growing landscape of Monferrato as a World Heritage Site has significantly increased the presence of the Unesco brand in the area, already attributed to the Sacro Monte di Crea in 2003.
Langhe – West of Monferrato, the Langhe are also distinguished by the production of fine wines, such as Barolo and Barbaresco. Equally famous is the Alba White Truffle, considered the “capital” of the Langhe. The Langhe can be divided, based on natural and anthropic characteristics, into three sub-regions: the Bassa Langa, the Alta Langa and the Langa Astigiana. Starting from Alba, located in the Tanaro valley, the hills of the Lower Langa are characterized, even more strongly than in Monferrato, by the monoculture of the vine. The Alta Langa and the Langa Astigiana, decidedly steeper and more impervious, leave more space for the hazel groves and the woods, in addition to the livestock, which in the Langa has produced an excellent dairy tradition. Even the architecture adapts to the environment, replacing the villages and castles of the Lower Langa, Monferrato and Roero with tall medieval watchtowers. The southern end of the Langhe reaches mountain heights (over 800 m) and borders on the Ligurian Apennines. The Langhe landscape was also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.
Roero – Third region included in the Unesco resolution of Doha in June 2014, the Roero occupies in the north-eastern part of the province of Cuneo, north of the Tanaro valley. From a landscape point of view, the Roero stands out for the sweetness of the hills and for the combination of vineyards and elegant castles clearly distinguishable on the hilly profile. The main wine production is that of white Roero Arneis.

Alpine territories and valleys
From south to north:
Val Po – At the foot of the Monviso. The sources of the Po river are located in the territory of the municipality of Crissolo
Val di Susa – Its most renowned center is Sestriere, a ski resort in operation since 1934. Bardonecchia is located in the upper part of the valley, near the border with France. The Valley is articulated around the center of Susa, which is located at the confluence of two important Alpine passes in the communications between Italy and France, the nearby Moncenisio and the more distant Montgenèvre, in the Middle Ages the transit locations of the Via Francigena. In the following centuries popes, princes, merchants, armies and travelers of the “Gran Tour” have crossed here. Remarkable in the Susa Valley is the heritage of castles and fortifications, but also of abbeys (Sacra di S. Michele, Novalesa, San Giusto di Susa, S. Antonio di Ranverso), as well as frescoed churches and chapels.
Valli di Lanzo – Three valleys of the Graian Alps destination for vacationers at the beginning of the 1900s but today much less frequented due to the absence of ski facilities.
Orco Valley – Also known as the Locana Valley or the Ceresole Valley, it winds along the southern slope of the Gran Paradiso.
Canavese – The territory between Turin and the Aosta Valley. Ivrea is its main center.
Biellese –
Valsesia – From the extremely green landscapes dominated by the bulk of Monte Rosa, Valsesia offers the possibility to practice skiing at the Alagna Valsesia station and to go up the course of its rivers by canoe,
Ossola Valley – An extensive valley crossed by the Toce river which runs through Domodossola. Among its numerous lateral valleys we must mention:
Anzasca Valley – It develops up to the eastern slopes of Monte Rosa
Valle Antrona – With the lake of the same name
Val Divedro – With the Simplon pass that connects it with the Valais
Antigorio-Formazza Valley – Valley excavated by the Toce, a natural continuation of the Ossola towards the North. It represents the northern summit of the regional territory.
Val Vigezzo – Collateral valley to the east also known as the Painters’ Valley. It continues in the Canton of Ticino with the name of Centovalli
Lake Orta – pre-Alpine lake shared by the provinces of Novara and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
Lake Maggiore – The western shore of Lake Maggiore belongs to Piedmont. The most famous places are Stresa, Arona, Verbania, Pallanza
Cuneesi Valleys – these valleys (Varaita, Maira, Grana, Stura, Gesso, Vermenagna, Ellero, Pesio and Tanaro) offer a great artistic and environmental heritage, thanks to the well-preserved medieval medieval towns, ancient churches and castles, reserves and parks natural and thematic itineraries and trails.

Urban centers.
Turin, Alexandria, Asti, Biella, Wedge, Novara, Verbania, Vercelli

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Showing 1–12 of 41 results