Piedmont

Piemonte

History

Piedmont was the heartland of the House of Savoy, which ruled the region for centuries and ultimately led the unification of Italy in the 19th century under King Vittorio Emanuele II. Turin served as the first capital of unified Italy from 1861 to 1865, leaving a legacy of grand boulevards, royal palaces, and an orderly city plan that sets it apart from most Italian cities. The region's strategic position between France and the Italian peninsula made it a perpetual battleground — Napoleon's campaigns passed through repeatedly — and French influence on Piedmontese culture, cuisine, and language is still palpable. In the 20th century, Turin became the centre of Italian industrialisation, home to FIAT and a massive wave of internal migration from southern Italy. Piedmont's resistance to Nazi occupation during WWII was fierce, and its partisan networks were among Italy's most effective.

Culture

Piedmont's culture blends northern Italian reserve with French elegance, reflected in its refined cuisine, café culture, and formal social manners. The region is proud of the Slow Food movement, founded in Bra in 1989 by Carlo Petrini as a reaction to McDonald's opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Local identity is tied closely to wine (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Moscato d'Asti), white truffles from Alba, and artisan chocolate — Turin was the first European city to produce solid chocolate. Piedmontese people take great pride in privacy and understatement; overt displays of wealth or emotion are less common than in southern regions. The Salone del Gusto food festival in Turin (biennial) and the Palio degli Asini donkey race in Alba are both unmissable events.

Language

Piedmontese dialect (Piemontèis) is still spoken in rural areas and by older residents, and has a significant literary tradition — it is considered by linguists to be a separate language rather than a dialect. It is characterised by French-influenced vocabulary, unusual vowel sounds, and grammatical structures quite distinct from standard Italian. In Turin, standard Italian is universal and English is widely spoken in the city centre. Useful phrases: 'Buongiorno' (good morning), 'Grazie mille' (many thanks), and 'Dov'è la piazza?' (Where is the square?). Note that Piedmontese can sound almost French to an Italian ear — locals in rural areas may switch between Italian and dialect seamlessly, so don't be surprised if conversations seem to shift language.

Best time to visit

Visit from April to June or September to October for mild weather, harvest festivals, and truffle fairs.

Places to visit

Where to eat