Piedmont

Piedmont, the 'factory of pleasure'

The land of wine and fine cuisine, of Barolo and truffles, knows how to treat its guests well: from the finest fabrics to luxury jewellery, from Baroque marvels to the lakes that enchanted Dickens and the mountains that the world came to know during the Olympic Winter Games in 2006. To crown all this is culture, art and architecture that only a region that has written the history of Europe can offer: Baroque, art nouveau, the sumptuous royal residences of the House of Savoy, the palaces and castles that have been declared a world heritage site by Unesco, the abbeys, Guarini's chapel that hosts the Holy Shroud are just some examples of a region where even the smallest town has an extraordinary history to tell.

The fulcrum of all this is Torino: a city that is changing thanks to the work of world-renowned architects like Renzo Piano, Arata Isozaki and Gae Aulenti. The city of the world's second Egyptian Museum, Leonardo da Vinci's "Autoritratto a Sanguigna" and "Ritratto di Ignoto" by Antonello da Messina, the National Museum of Cinema, and the Gallery of Modern Art. Art, nature and fine food. This is Piedmont. Welcome.

Lakes

Who has not heard about the lakes in Piedmont: Lake Maggiore, Lake d'Orta and Lake di Viverone? The mediterranean atmosphere amidst alpine scenery inspires the traveller. Clear water, lush green, palms, mountain range this is how lake Maggiore presents itself with it's glamorous resorts like Stresa and Verbania and the gorgeous Borromeo islands. This region today is a popular destination for tourists with various interests in watersports like swimming, sailing, surfing, water skiing or canoeing as well as hiking, trekking and rock climbing. On top of this there are 8 golf courses waiting for Golfers.

Festivities

Famous international events like the Settimane Musicali� which take place from july till september in Stresa and on the Borremeo islands, the 3 weeks lasting� Settembre Musica, �the Torino Film Festival in november and the Vignaledanza in july offer enthusiasts of art and culture great pleasure. Moreover is the Turin Book Fair, the fieralibro one of the biggest European exhibitions, alongside London, Paris, Madrid and Leipzig...

And those who know about the Palio di Siena might not yet know that there is as well the Palio di Asti. Indeed this is worth a visit. But Asti is more than just its Palio: the interested visitor can discover museums and monuments, antique shops and flea markets, embattled towers and mysterious courtyards. Walking from east to west on Corso Alfieri, the ancient main street, it is impossible not to notice an imposing, elegant palace in Baroque style: the home of the Alfieri counts, from whom Vittorio descended (b. Asti, 1749, d. Florence, 1803), the great tragedian and free spirit, famous for his works as well as for his love of horses.