Piedmont Travel Guide

Piedmont translates as “the land at the foot of the mountains,” which geographically speaking, is absolutely true. North of beautiful Liguria and south of the Swiss Alps, Piedmont is the source of many famous culinary goods such as Barbera, Barbaresco, Barolo, Nebbiolo and Brachetto wines, Gorgonzola cheese, white and black truffles, rice and more. The cities of Turin, Cuneo, and Alessandria offer varying degrees of metropolitan, Turin being the highlight of city life. Once home to the winter Olympics, it is a sophisticated and multi-cultural city drawing people from all over the world, especially the middle east. It’s local culture certainly reflects this as it has hundreds state-funded attractions including the Museum of Natural Sciences and the Egypt Museum. Unesco marked world-heritage Savoy Residences pepper the city of Turin and beyond, one of which—the Castello di Pollenzo—now houses the headquarters of the Slow Food Organization’s gastronomic playland. Other sites within all four cities feature architecture by Juvarra, Guarini, Pelagi, and Castellamonte. Beyond the major cities are true gems for the car-bound adventurer, with limited itineraries for those train-bound. Many small cities boast wine productions that never make it beyond their crumbling city walls, others, such as the tiny and hospitable Acqui Terme offer up medicinal spas with naturally occurring thermal springs, to which you walk from your accommodations past crumbling Roman Aqueducts and other historical attractions. All in all, Piedmonte is chalk-full of possibilities and degrees of experiences from the rustic to the urban.