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Piedmont

Italy's second-largest region is arguably its most elegant: a purveyor of Slow Food and fine wine, regal palazzi and an atmosphere that is superficially more français than italiano. But dig deeper and you'll discover that Piedmont has 'Made in Italy' stamped all over it. Emerging from the chaos of the Austrian wars, the unification movement first exploded here in the 1850s, when the noble House of Savoy provided the nascent nation with its first prime minister and its dynastic royal family.

Most Piedmont journeys start in stately Turin, famous for football and Fiats. Beyond the car factories, Piedmont is notable for its food – everything from rice to white truffles – and pretty pastoral landscapes not unlike nearby Tuscany.

The region's smaller towns were once feuding fiefdoms that bickered over trade and religion. Today the biggest skirmishes are more likely to be over recipes and vintages as they vie for the gourmet traveller euro.

Explore Piedmont

  • Museo Egizio

    Opened in 1824 and housed in the austere Palazzo dell'Accademia delle Scienze, this Turin institution houses the most important collection of Egyptian…

  • Castello di Rivoli

    Some 21km west of Turin, the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art is a giant of modern art in Piedmont. Its ambition and reach, not to mention…

  • Reggia di Venaria Reale

    OK, it may not enjoy the weighty publicity of its French counterpart, but this is one of the largest royal residences in the world, rescued from ruin by a…

  • Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile

    As the historic birthplace of one of the world's leading car manufacturers – the ‘T’ in Fiat stands for Torino – Turin is the obvious place for a car…

  • P

    Palazzo Reale

    Statues of the mythical twins Castor and Pollux guard the entrance to this eye-catching palace and, according to local hearsay, also watch over the…

  • Cappella del Barolo

    Alba's winemaking-restaurateuring Ceretti family has commissioned a number of site-specific artworks in the region and this never-consecrated chapel is…

  • S

    Sacra di San Michele

    This Gothic-Romanesque abbey, brooding above the road 14km from Turin, has kept sentry atop Monte Pirchiriano (962m) since the 10th century. It housed a…

  • M

    Museo Casa Mollino

    Architect-designer-artist Carlo Mollino is perhaps Turin's most intriguing son and a quintessentially 20th-century Torinese. The little-known Museo Casa…

  • C

    Cantine Bosca

    Some 28km south of Asti, the Cantine Bosca is one of several historic wineries that produce the famed sparkling wine of the area (the DOCG Asti Spumante,…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Piedmont.

  • See

    Museo Egizio

    Opened in 1824 and housed in the austere Palazzo dell'Accademia delle Scienze, this Turin institution houses the most important collection of Egyptian…

  • See

    Castello di Rivoli

    Some 21km west of Turin, the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art is a giant of modern art in Piedmont. Its ambition and reach, not to mention…

  • See

    Reggia di Venaria Reale

    OK, it may not enjoy the weighty publicity of its French counterpart, but this is one of the largest royal residences in the world, rescued from ruin by a…

  • See

    Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile

    As the historic birthplace of one of the world's leading car manufacturers – the ‘T’ in Fiat stands for Torino – Turin is the obvious place for a car…

  • See

    Palazzo Reale

    Statues of the mythical twins Castor and Pollux guard the entrance to this eye-catching palace and, according to local hearsay, also watch over the…

  • See

    Cappella del Barolo

    Alba's winemaking-restaurateuring Ceretti family has commissioned a number of site-specific artworks in the region and this never-consecrated chapel is…

  • See

    Sacra di San Michele

    This Gothic-Romanesque abbey, brooding above the road 14km from Turin, has kept sentry atop Monte Pirchiriano (962m) since the 10th century. It housed a…

  • See

    Museo Casa Mollino

    Architect-designer-artist Carlo Mollino is perhaps Turin's most intriguing son and a quintessentially 20th-century Torinese. The little-known Museo Casa…

  • See

    Cantine Bosca

    Some 28km south of Asti, the Cantine Bosca is one of several historic wineries that produce the famed sparkling wine of the area (the DOCG Asti Spumante,…

Featured videos

Discover Piedmont, Italy

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Guidebooks

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