Piedmont

Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, tobogganing, extreme routes for freestylers, snow parks and the evocative landscapes of the Alps. Experience all this in Piedmont - an unmissable destination for people who prefer sporting holidays on the snow with friends or family. A destination where you will find hospitality, a warm welcome and quality combined with the exciting beauty of high altitude nature.

The ski resorts of Via Lattea and Bardonecchia sit amidst the expanses of snow and peaks glistening in the sun of the Turin Alps, where you can enjoy cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, freestyle. Are you a bobsleigh or ice-skating enthusiast? You’ll find slopes and lifts here that won’t disappoint. Or you can indulge in unforgettable horseback riding and snowshoeing.

Trails for downhill and cross-country skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, sledding and bobsleighing, kite skiing and snowboarding, all in an almost unparalleled natural setting.

The territory defined in December 1922 as the Gran Paradiso National Park extends around the homonymous massif (whose peak exceeds 4000 meters) and in the past was a densely populated area. The architecture of the villages is based on the idea of the alpine house, on the Piedmontese side with constructions entirely made of wood, while on the Aosta Valley side wood is flanked by stone. The maximum splendor of this area was reached in the middle of the 1800s, when members of the House of Savoy came up to these parts to reach the hunting posts. The decision to prohibit hunting when the Park first opened was fundamental to saving the ibexes - which are its symbol - from extinction. Today, this mountain Eden, divided into five valleys where rocky environments, prairies, woods and their borders alternate, is truly within everyone's reach: thanks to the project “an Accessible Paradise”, the tourist offering of the entire protected area is able to satisfy the needs, interests and expectations of a wider range of users.

In Limone Piemonte, with its Riserva Bianca, skiing holidays are all about fun, sport and relaxation, all made even more special by a village with traditional charm that’s also entirely connected. Between the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Riviera, Limone Piemonte is one of the Alpine pearls you just can’t miss.

The Valsesia district extends across the Piedmontese side of Monte Rosa and is an ideal destination for those who love to visit mountainous regions to enjoy the beauty of a wild natural environment. In this area tradition and modernity coexist and are mutually reinforced. On the one hand, we find a lifestyle inspired by the past and then the avant-garde sports facilities which let us to have a lot of fun on the snow at the Monterosa Ski resort.

Soar through the sky surrounded by nature, enjoying breathtaking views of mountains and valleys, seas and lakes, quaint villages and islands, as you glide along steel cables in complete safety, all harnessed up and protected: six spectacular zip lines for an unforgettable, adrenaline-filled experience.

The Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy are devotional monuments scattered across the mountains of northern Italy. They originated as an alternative method of prayer compared to pilgrimages to the Holy Land, which had become increasingly difficult to visit due to the expansion of Islamic culture, and as a response to the Protestant Reformation. They comprise nine complexes of chapels and sacred architecture from the 16th and 17th centuries distributed along routes that represent episodes from the Holy Scriptures, built by the hands of the best artists of the Lombard late Renaissance and Baroque artistic tradition.

Cycling around the Piedmont shores of Lake Maggiore reveals elegant lakeside promenades, Mediaeval villages, sanctuaries and abbeys, islands in full bloom and nature reserves: five different slow routes with a green soul to discover all these features.

Scattered across Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia, these UNESCO World Heritage Sites are valuable evidence of the pile-dwelling settlements of prehistoric communities. There are 19 in Italy, located in the immediate vicinity of lakes or the wetlands in Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino and Alto Adige.

There are many wildlife parks in Italy, where you can see deer, roe deer, foxes and bears. The best known are the Stelvio National Park, the Spormaggiore Wildlife Park and the Orobie Valtellinesi Park. Organising a mountain holiday in these places is all about fun and growth. There are also many accommodation facilities that are equipped to host the little ones, giving adults the chance to relax, and entertaining them by organising special activities for unforgettable experiences surrounded by the wildest nature. Where can you go in the mountains with children?

Set in the wonderful, evocative waters of Lake Maggiore, the Borromean Islands have fascinated visitors for centuries. Loved by Ernest Hemingway and, in more recent times, by the English Royals, this Archipelago is made up of the monumental Isola Bella, with its 17th-Century Palazzo Borromeo, surrounded by scenographic gardens, the picturesque Isola dei Pescatori (Fishermen’s Island), Isola Madre, noted for its botanical garden, rich in rare plants, the little Island of San Giovanni that faces Pallanza, and the Rock of Marghera. Lake Maggiore was a favorite resort locality for the noble families of Lombardy (e.g. the Borromeos and the Viscontis) that also constructed sumptuous villas here, beginning in the 1700s. The Borromeos, prestigious family of Florentine origins, became the Islands’ owners in the 14th Century when they began to transform them by building residences with elaborate gardens. Still today Isola Bella and Isola Madre remain in the family’s possession, as do the two rocks, or little islands, of Castelli di Cannero, that bear the ruins of two Medieval fortifications.

Confirming the indissoluble bond between the Piedmontese centre and the production of excellent wines, a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world, from 19 to 21 September 2022 Alba will host the "Global Conference on Wine Tourism", the sixth international meeting organised by UNWTO, a United Nations agency, dedicated to tourism issues. Let's discover the programme together and learn about the importance of wine tourism for the sustainable development of territories around the world.

If someone asks you: "Do you know tuber magnatum pico?", maybe your reply would not be immediate, but you would probably know for sure the one called white truffle. It is actually the same product: it is the most valuable truffle type, both from a gastronomic and a purely economic point of view. In fact, because of the very high cost, it is considered as a precious diamond. Surely among the most popular ones is the white truffle of Alba (CN), a town located in the province of Cuneo in Piedmont region, which holds the record for the oldest White Truffle Fair which takes place between October and November.

A true capital of taste and cuisine, let’s give it up for Turin, the city where countless snacks, small dishes, bar snacks and mini desserts were born and went on to take the world by storm.

The continuing love story between Turin and chocolate began as far back as 1560: in celebration of the Ducal Capital’s move from Chambéry to Turin, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy served a symbolic cup of piping hot chocolate to the city. An authentic passion that has created specialties now known throughout the world has also continued to stimulate the imaginations of the master chocolatiers over the centuries. Indeed, it was here in the Savoy Capital that the Bicerin – a glass of hot coffee, cacao, and milk cream – was conceived in the 1700s. By way of chocolate, the maestros of Turin knew exactly how to express their taste for innovation, so much so that they experimented with new mechanisms to mix cacao, vanilla, water and sugar into a malleable paste (beginning 17th Century). They discovered that they could transform the chocolate into solid bars, thus giving life to chocolates, or cioccolatini, of every type – from bon bons to pralines, truffles and cremini.

After a 31-year wait, the Eurovision Song Contest is finally back in Italy, turning the spotlight on Turin, the city hosting the 66th edition of the event. The capital of Piedmont never ceases to amaze and with its unusual architecture, the Royal Chocolate Time and sustainable and innovative projects hides small and large characteristics to experience and explore.

This is a rich initiative that was launched in 2017 in partnership with Lavazza to take up the challenge presented by the United Nations: to pursue and promote the so-called 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. 17+1 interconnected goals, interpreted by leading street artists who today animate the streets of the "city of four rivers" and proclaim the need to work towards a fairer world for all.

Turin is one of the Italian cities that has the right to be considered an open-air museum: its architecture, the elegant palaces, the arcades... every corner holds surprises and wonders. This is a selection of experiences to enjoy in just 48 hours to tiptoe into a unique urban background.

King Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy commissioned the Teatro Regio in Turin. Very different from the lavish and impressive rococo design of the original building, today the Teatro Regio has become an icon of modern 20th-century architecture. Completely renovated by architect Carlo Mollino, after a fire in 1936 reduced the building to ashes, it hosts a rich and varied programme.

The National Cinema Museum in Turin celebrates and narrates the seventh art in detail. It is located inside the scenic Mole Antonelliana, a symbolic monument of Piedmont's capital city, and follows the history of the film industry from its origins to the present day.

Exploring Turin and its surroundings by bicycle is the best way to discover an astonishingly beautiful city and its majestic historic residences, lush metropolitan parks, local specialities and glimpses of nature that resemble paintings: here are five itineraries that reveal all its charms. Turin, the capital of Piedmont, is also the starting point for the Giro d'Italia 2021.

A result of Olivetti's presence, a company that rejuvenated both its urban and social layout, ensuring technological development and great prosperity, it is a place of great inspiration. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visiting Ivrea is an opportunity to get to know a piece of our country's history. Interesting also from a landscape point of view, Ivrea is crossed by the river Dora Baltea, the so-called Ivrea Canal, which gives it a romantic setting and rises on the hill "La Serra", dominated by the four towers of the Arduino Castle. Its rich historical centre nestled on the hillside and scene of the Battle of the Oranges during the famous Ivrea Carnival, is the heart of the city from where an exploration of art and neoclassical architecture can begin, arriving at the historic red-brick Olivetti factory.