Piedmont has an area of 25,402 km2 (9,808 sq mi), making it the second-largest region of Italy afterSicily. As of 31 January 2021, the population was 4,269,714. The capital of Piedmont isTurin, which was also the capital of theKingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865.
The FrenchPiedmont, the ItalianPiemonte, and other variant cognates come from themedieval LatinPedemontium orPedemontis, i.e.ad pedem montium, meaning "at the foot of the mountains" (referring to theAlps), attested in documents from the end of the 12th century.[4]
Piedmont is the second largest of Italy's 20 regions, afterSicily. It is broadly coincident with the upper part of thedrainage basin of the riverPo, which rises from the slopes of Monviso in the west of the region and is Italy's largest river. The Po drains the semicircle formed by theAlps andApennines, which surround the region on three sides.
The countryside is very diverse: from the rugged peaks of the massifs of Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso to the damp rice paddies of Vercelli and Novara, from the gentle hillsides of theLanghe,Roero, andMontferrat to the plains. 7.6% of the entire territory is consideredprotected area. There are 56 different national or regional parks; one of the most famous is theGran Paradiso National Park, between Piedmont and theAosta Valley.
Piedmont has a typicallytemperate climate, which on theAlps becomes progressively temperate-cold and colder as it climbs to altitude. In areas located at low altitudes, winters are relatively cold but not very rainy and often sunny, with the possibility of snowfall, sometimes abundant. Snowfall, on the other hand, is less frequent and occasional in the northeast areas. Summers are hot with local possibilities of strong thunderstorms.[5]
TheRepublic of Alba was created in 1796 as aFrench client republic in Piedmont. A new client republic, thePiedmontese Republic, existed between 1798 and 1799 before it was reoccupied by Austrian and Russian troops. In June 1800 a third client republic, theSubalpine Republic, was established in Piedmont. It fell under full French control in 1801 and it was annexed by France in September 1802. In theCongress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Sardinia was restored and furthermore received theRepublic of Genoa to strengthen it as a barrier against France.
Piedmont was a springboard forItalian unification in 1859–1861, following earlier unsuccessful wars against theAustrian Empire in 1820–1821,[7] and 1848–1849. This process is sometimes referred to asPiedmontisation.[8] The efforts were later countered by the efforts of rural farmers.[9][10] TheHouse of Savoy becameKings of Italy, and Turin briefly became the capital of Italy. However, when the Italian capital was moved toFlorence, and then toRome, the administrative and institutional importance of Piedmont was reduced. The only recognition of Piedmont's historical role was that thecrown prince of Italy was known as thePrince of Piedmont. After Italian unification, Piedmont was one of the most important regions in the first Italian industrialization.[11]
Thegross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 137.4 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 7.8% of Italy's GDP.GDP per capita atpurchasing power parity was 31,300 euros or 104% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 111% of the EU average.[12] Since 2006, thePiemonte Agency for Investments, Export and Tourism began to facilitate outside investment and promote Piedmont's industry and tourism. It was the first Italian institution to combine the activities being carried out by pre-existing local organizations to promote the territory internationally.
The region contains major industrial centres, the most important of which is Turin, home to theFiat conglomerate, but mass-market Fiat cars are not produced anymore, only small-scale manufacturing of luxuryMaserati cars (36,702 in 2020).[13] Most of the ex-Fiat plants now belong to other companies: aerospace is owned byLeonardo S.p.A., turbo jet engines byGeneral Electric, high-speed trains byAlstom, bearings bySKF. Fiat does not exist anymore as an independent company; car production belongs toStellantis, and trucks, buses, tractors, agriculture and construction machines are produced by the independent companyCNH Industrial (most manufacturing activity takes place in theUnited States, in Piedmont only the production ofNew Holland excavators inSan Mauro Torinese andIVECO diesel engines inTurin). Neither of them are headquartered inTurin anymore, however, some research and development centres are still working.
Formerly famous automotive design companies also were sold to global automotive groups:Italdesign Giugiaro toVolkswagen,Ghia toFord,Pininfarina toMahindra;Bertone went into bankruptcy in 2014. The massive decline in the automotive industry caused other regions likeVeneto (€163 billion in 2018) andEmilia-Romagna (€161 billion in 2018) to surpass Piedmont (€137 billion in 2018) in GDP and led to relative high unemployment. The peak ofItalian motor vehicle production is reached in 1989 with 2.22 million units, but in 2019 (before theCOVID-19 pandemic in Italy) it was only 0.92 million units. Even existing Italian car production now relocated toSouth Italy, such as inPomigliano d'Arco (140,478 in 2020),Melfi (229,848 in 2020), andAtessa (257,026 in 2020), because of cost cutting.[13]
There are some important companies in high-tech manufacturing:Comau (industrial robots) and Prima Industrie (laser equipment). Silicon wafer production is inNovara by MEMC.Olivetti, once a majorelectronics industry whose plants were inScarmagno andIvrea, has now turned into a small-scale computer service company and no longer produces computers.Leonardo Elettronica in Turin-Caselle develops and manufactures airborne mission systems and airborne computers. Machine building has a long tradition in Piedmont with the manufacturing of excavators, telescopic handlers, industrial refrigerators, printing machines, paper machines, packaging machines, glass machines, turbines, and high-speed trains.
Italy is the world's largest exporter of carded (71.8% in 2018)[14] and combed (73.4% in 2018)[15] wool fabrics. These are the only two types of fabrics not dominated by Chinese textile exports. There are three industrial districts that process wool in Italy. One of them,Biella, is located in Piedmont.
Below are showed some basic stages of wool processing (not complete).
One of Italy's four industrial jewellery districts is located inValenza. Large jewellery companies such asDamiani,Bulgari, andCartier have factories here as do many other smaller companies.
Lowland Piedmont is a fertile agricultural region. The main agricultural products in Piedmont arecereals, includingrice, representing more than 10% of national production,maize,grapes forwine-making,fruit andmilk.[16] With more than 800,000 head of cattle in 2000, livestock production accounts for half of total agricultural production in Piedmont.
Piedmont is one of the great winegrowing regions in Italy. More than half of its 700 km2 (170,000 acres) of vineyards are registered withDOC designations. It produces prestigious wines asBarolo andBarbaresco from theLanghe nearAlba, and theMoscato d'Asti and sparklingAsti from the vineyards aroundAsti. The city of Asti is about 55 km (34 mi) east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River and is one of the most important centres ofMontferrat, one of the best known Italian wine districts in the world, declared officially on 22 June 2014 a UNESCO World Heritage site.[17] Indigenous grape varieties includeNebbiolo,Barbera,Dolcetto,Freisa,Grignolino andBrachetto.
Tourism in Piedmont employs 75,534 people and involves 17,367 companies operating in the hospitality and catering sector, with 1,473 hotels and other tourist accommodation. The sector generates a turnover of €2,671 million, 3.3% of the €80,196 million total estimated spending on tourism in Italy. The region is popular with both foreign visitors and those from other parts of Italy. In 2002 there were 2,651,068 total arrivals, 1,124,696 (42%) of whom were foreign. The traditional leading areas for tourism in Piedmont are the Lake District ("Piedmont's riviera"), which accounts for 32.84% of total overnight stays, and the metropolitan area of Turin, which accounts for 26.51%.[18]
In 2006, Turin hosted theXX Olympic Winter Games, and in 2007 it hosted theXXIII Universiade. Alpine tourism tends to concentrate in a few highly developed stations likeAlagna Valsesia andSestriere. Around 1980, the long-distance trailGrande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA) was created to draw more attention to the variety of remote, sparsely inhabited valleys. Within the tourism industry in Piedmont, a reference to the system of Royal Residences has to be made. First of all, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1997 and, secondly, it represents a peculiarity of the region, since such a network cannot be found elsewhere in Italy. The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy belong to the historical and cultural heritage of Piedmont and nowadays they play a central role in the tourism field.[19] In a reality in which the tourism industry is characterized by an amalgam of several players and stakeholders, the creation of a system or network like the one of the Royal Residences represents an added benefit for the whole territory as well as a competitive edge.[20] Therefore, considering that tourism is a key factor in the creation of long-lasting value and working in a cooperative and collaborative perspective is essential,[21] the network of the Royal Residences represents an example worth of notice.
Piedmont has many small and picturesque villages, 20 of them have been selected byI Borghi più belli d'Italia (English:The most beautiful Villages of Italy),[22] a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,[23] that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.[24] These villages are:[25]
There are links with neighbouring France via theFréjus andColle di Tenda tunnels as well as theMontgenèvre Pass. Piedmont also connects withSwitzerland by theSimplon andGreat St Bernard passes. It is possible to reach Switzerland via a normal road that crosses eastern Piedmont, starting fromArona and ending inLocarno, on theSwiss border. The region has the longest motorway network amongst the Italian regions, covering approximately 800 km (500 mi). It radiates from Turin, connecting it with the other provinces in the region, as well as with the other regions in Italy. In 2001, the number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants was 623 (above the national average of 575).[16] There is aTurin–Milan high-speed railway; the travel time is only 52 minutes.
The population density in Piedmont is lower than the national average. In 2008, it was equal to 174 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of about 200. TheMetropolitan City of Turin has 335 inhabitants per km2, whereasVerbano-Cusio-Ossola is the least densely populated province, with 72 inhabitants per km2.[28]
The population of Piedmont followed a downward trend throughout the 1980s, a result of the natural negative balance (of some 3 to 4% per year), while the migratory balance since 1986 has again become positive because of immigration.[28] The population remained stable in the 1990s.
The Turin metro area grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s due to an increase of immigrants from southern Italy and Veneto and today it has a population of approximately two million. As of 2008[update], the Italian national institute of statistics (ISTAT) estimated that 310,543 foreign-born immigrants lived in Piedmont, equal to 7.0% of the total regional population. Most immigrants come from Eastern Europe (mostly from Romania, Albania, and Ukraine) with smaller communities of African immigrants.
Areas where Piedmontese is spoken (municipalities whereOccitan andArpitan presence is only de jure are included)
Areas where Piedmontese is spoken alongside other languages (Occitan, Arpitan andAlemannic) and areas of linguistic transition (withLigurian and withLombard)
Piedmontese cuisine is the style of cooking in theNorthern Italian region of Piedmont. BorderingFrance andSwitzerland, Piedmontese cuisine is partly influenced byFrench cuisine; this is demonstrated in particular by the importance of appetizers, a set of courses that precede what is traditionally called a first course and aimed at whetting the appetite. In France these courses are fewer and are calledentrée.[30]
It is a region in Italy with the largest number ofcheeses andwines. The most prestigious Italian culinary school, theUniversity of Gastronomic Sciences, was founded in Piedmont. Similar to other Northern Italian cuisines, veal, wine, and butter are among the main ingredients used in cooking.[31]
Some well-known dishes includeagnolotti,vitello tonnato (also popular in Argentina), andbagna càuda. Piedmont is also credited for the famous pasta dishtagliolini (tajarin inPiedmontese).[32]Tagliolini are a type of eggpasta normally made fresh by hand. According to Italian writer and journalist Massimo Alberini,tagliolini was amongKing Victor Emmanuel II's preferred dishes.[33]
TheSlow Food Movement was started in Piedmont byCarlo Petrini who was from the town ofBra, Piedmont. The movement greatly benefited the region by highlighting Piedmont's diverse cuisine. The Slow Food Movement offices are still headquartered in the town of Bra.
The town ofAlba is known for its gourmet food. It is also the region where Alba white truffles are found.[35]
Since 2006, the Piedmont region has benefited from the start of theSlow Food movement andTerra Madre, events that highlighted the rich agricultural andviticultural value of the Po Valley and northern Italy. A chain of food hallsEataly works in collaboration withSlow Food. Piedmont is the leading producer of confectionery, coffee, rice, and white truffles in Italy. It is ranked 3 of 20 for the production of quality DOC and DOCG wines with 1,982,718 hl, there are 17 DOCG wines of all possible types (white, red, sweet, sparkling). In 2019, Piedmont accounted for 16.5% of wine exports from Italy, ranking second behindVeneto, with 36%.[36] The typical food industries in Piedmont are:
Inassociation football, notable clubs in Piedmont includeTurin-basedJuventus andTorino, who have won 43 official top-flight league championships (as of the2020–21 season) between them (36 titles won by Juventus and seven by Torino), more than any other city in Italy. Juventus is the most successful club in Italy, having won the most league titles (36),Coppa Italia titles (14), andSupercoppa Italiana titles (9) of any team in the country;Juventus Women, established in 2017, also achieved success, immediately becoming one of the country's most successful women's teams. Other smaller teams include the old "Piedmont Quadrilateral" componentsNovara,Alessandria,Casale, andPro Vercelli. With the pre-World War II success of Pro Vercelli in 1910s and Juventus in 1930s, as well as winning cycles of Torino during theGrande Torino years and Juventus in different eras since 1950, the region became the most successful in terms of championships won. Casale andNovese contributed with onescudetto each. Other local teams include volleyball teamsCuneo (male) andAGIL Novara (female), basketball teams Biella Basketball and Junior Casale, ice hockey team Hockey Club Turin, and roller hockey sideAmatori Vercelli, who have won three league titles, an Italian Cup, and twoCERS Cups.
Turin hosted the2006 Winter Olympics.[37] The 2006 Winter Olympics (Italian:2006 Olimpiadi invernali), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games (Italian:XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a wintermulti-sport event held from 10 to 26 February inTurin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted theWinter Olympics, the first being in1956 inCortina d'Ampezzo; Italy had also hosted theSummer Olympics in1960 inRome. Turin was selected as the host city for the 2006 Games in June 1999. The official motto of Torino 2006 was "Passion lives here".[38] The Games' logo depicted a stylized profile of theMole Antonelliana building, drawn in white and blue ice crystals, signifying the snow and the sky. The crystal web was also meant to portray the web of new technologies and the Olympic spirit of community. The 2006 Olympic mascots were Neve ("snow" in Italian), a femalesnowball, and Gliz, a maleice cube.[39]
^Rosa, Diego (April 2005)."DIDATTICA - La neve"(PDF).Rivista Ligure di Meteorologia. Società Meteorologica Italiana - Sezione Ligura. p. 3. Retrieved3 September 2009.
^AA.VV. (2004).Dimore Reali e la Corona di Delizie - Palazzi, castelli e ville sabaude in Piemonte I. Torino: La Stampa. pp. 1–13.
^Cortese, Damiano (2018).L'azienda turistica: nuovi scenari e modelli evolutivi. Torino: Giappichelli Editore. pp. 63–77.
^Cortese D., Giacosa E., Cantino V. (2018).Knowledge sharing for coopetition in tourist destinations: the difficult path to the network. Springer. pp. 1–12.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Basilicata" (in Italian). 10 January 2017. Retrieved1 August 2023.
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