Piedmont

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.

The Langhe, Roero and Monferrato hills are UNESCO World Heritage Sites ideal for slow-active cycling suitable for all ages over trails that can be used by ebikes and mountain bikes. Here are five cycling itineraries immersed in nature to discover the excellent food and wine of the area, complete with stop-offs and tastings in wine cellars.

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.

A tour of art and culture in five cities in Piedmont can be enriched by an additional experience: a stay in a period residence, amidst ancient walls and antique furnishings.An atmosphere of luxury and great beauty reigns in Piedmont's historic hotels. These are mansions steeped in history, transformed after careful restoration into magnificent hotels with every possible comfort. Exceptional destinations worth visiting to spend a few days of absolute relaxation in the rooms of authentic monuments, in perfect continuity with the many others you will be visiting.

Lake Maggiore is one of the most beautiful Italian lakes and has enchanted the great Italian and foreign artists who have stayed here. It is believed to be the largest of the pre-Alpine lakes, hence the name "Maggiore", it is of glacial origin and its banks are in Lombardy, Piedmont and Switzerland. Surrounded by mountains and hills that shelter it from the cold northern winds, the lake has the Ticino River among its tributaries, a historic water route connecting the Po Valley to Central Europe.

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 beautiful valley alternating intense green meadows and very high, yet gentle mountains Val di Susa, a valley so beautiful it leaves one agape, alternates in a pattern of intensely-verdant fields and skyscraping, yet gently-rolling peaks. It is nature withdrawn, but not so remote as to be inaccessible: a swift, modern highway traverses it, connecting the Valley to both Turin and France, each less than one hour away. (The two countries were first linked by the railway tunnel known as Frejus in 1871, the first of its size and kind in the Alps at the time, at 40,135 feet in length).The presence of numerous Alpine crossings make it easy to trek these parts in any climatic condition these crossings have also tended to characterize the diffusion of many spiritual, cultural, commercial and touristic developments in the Val di Susa.

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.

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.

A small village on the border between Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta watches over one of the most beautiful agricultural landscapes in Italy: the terraced vineyards of Carema have exploited the steepest slopes of the mountain to cultivate nebbiolo grapes, used to make Carema DOC wine.

These are the magnificent scenery of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, where the great Italian wines of Piedmont, Barolo and Barbaresco, are produced. This jewel of Piedmont with its seductive landscapes has become part of the World Heritage List of Unesco.

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.

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 Piedmontese Via Francigena passes right through here, immersed in green nature full of vineyards and sunflower fields and dotted with ancient churches, lakes, villages and castles.

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 Malghera. 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.

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

Passing by rural churches, evocative abbeys and historic cathedrals, the Via Francigena in Piedmont sets their holiness in a truly green context highlighted by the bouquet of excellent local wines: here are 5 not to be missed places combining the pleasure of nature walks with artistic beauty.

Buildings of times gone by in settings of rare beauty bonded by a strong wine-making vocation: villages along the Wine Routes where you can discover and experience every aspect of Italian wine-making.

Surrounding oneself with natural wonders is the best way to create stronger personal bonds, improve listening skills, and stimulate emotional intelligence. And if the team-building experience in contact with nature is combined with a day of horse-riding, the benefits are even more striking. Interacting with these animals that instinctively live in herds means establishing a relationship of trust with them, giving commands and respecting each other' wills without anger or prejudice. These are all qualities that are also fundamental in the workplace. Whether you are considering spending just a few hours out riding with colleagues or a whole weekend in the saddle, there is no shortage of options, even just a few minutes from the big cities.

Immersed in one of the most picturesque alpine landscapes, this mountain bike circuit, with its extremely high gradients, is perfect for those who want to test their skills on two wheels. From freeride to enduro to road cycling... Are you ready? There's so much fun to be had!

Those who love the pure adrenaline rush of a rapid descent of a rushing torrent or a mountain river in an inflatable boat know: Italy, thanks to its mountainous nature and wealth of waterways, is a rafting paradise. Not everyone knows it was in Piedmont that this relatively young sport started for our country, and not by chance: here, in Valsesia, thanks to the richness and variety of the hydrogeology, there are routes for every taste and level of difficulty. Want to come and discover it with us?

We’re talking about the Lake Maggiore Zip Line, on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore, in the heart of the green Intrasca Valley and the Terre Alte.

It is inspired by the GranPiemonte 2022, the autumn cycling Classic that starts in Omegna, on the northern tip of Lake Orta in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and ends just outside Turin. You just have to imagine these characters, and it is not difficult when you are riding your bike through an area so extraordinary that it seems like a small world in miniature, made up of rugged mountains and endless plains, rice fields and vineyards, castles, hunting estates and noble residences. Just slow your pace, look around, get inspired. After all, the course is mostly flat, to the delight of those who like to feel the wind on their skin, but also those who prefer to keep some energy for a cultural pit stop. But pay attention to the kilometers, which are really a lot: as many as 198. The advice is to break the route into two stages, giving yourself a night’s rest, and leave the feat of covering it in a single day to the professionals. So, as they say in Piedmontese dialect, andùma, that is, let’s go!

There is a cycling race that looks backwards: Milano-Torino, the oldest race in Italy, as its first edition dates back to 1876. In this article let us go over its course together: a 199km journey from Magenta to Rivoli, through the history of our country, the forgotten trades, and the culinary menus scenting of tradition. It is a route that seems to be designed to suit the fast men (except for a short sector, it is pan flat), but also the amateurs who prefer a slower pace, interspersed with some stops. In this way, they can turn their gaze to the past in a territory that is still untouched by major tourism flows. Get in your saddle, then, and off we go.

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.

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.

Archaeological finds and works from classical times, the vast park, sumptuous interiors, ancient and contemporary art in the many exhibition spaces, the gourmet restaurant and several bars: all-round beauty and all within easy reach of Turin the noble capital of Piedmont.

The heart of the Kingdom of Savoy for centuries, Turin was the stage and driving force behind national unification, as well as the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Visiting Turin offers the perfect opportunity to discover the splendid royal residences that the Savoy family had built between the 17th and 18th centuries: a journey through time among the symbols of the dynasty's hegemony, from hunting castles to holiday resorts and the imposing residences declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ready for an adventure in the beautiful Turin of the Savoy dynasty?

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.

'Dance is in our nature': this is the slogan and the promise that inspired Orsolina 28, an authentic Garden of Eden dedicated to dance in the heart of Monferrato, in Moncalvo, in the green province of Asti. This place is so evocative that it deserves to be included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and, together with young students, new promises and big names in dance, welcomes anyone who wants to experience the joy of movement. It is the ideal destination for spending a weekend in nature, soaking up the beauty with all your senses, in a convivial atmosphere of interaction, where you can rediscover your relationship with your body, the rhythms of nature and inner peace.