Piemonte - Region

Sestriere		Sacra di San Michele - Turin

A region bordering France in north eastern Italy.  Mountains and plains, rivers, cities, farming and industry all live together in harmony in this region.  The round hilly area of Monferrato, the rolling terrain of the Langhe, the misty Po river, Lakes Maggiore (Italy's largest) and Orta.  Its mountain resorts and alpine skiing along with its wonderful castles, its history, and museums, abbeys and cathedrals, everywhere. 
 

Langhe area - horse riding		Barola Castle

The regional capital of Piemonte is Torino (Turin) but Turin also has its 18th century architecture, its bronze equestrian statues, its Mole Antonelliana, Egyptian Museum, and Superga.  

Piemonte is notable for fine food...the bon vivant has game, truffles and fondue, accompanied by Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Gattinara wines.   

A must is a visit to the Langhe area, province of Cuneo, a territory of gentle, fertile hills renowned for its vineyards and castles. The main center of the Langhe area is Alba, the world capital of truffles, and the seat of the celebrated Ferrero factory, producer of Nutella, Rocher and Kinder chocolate brands. 

Piemonte was the host to the 2006 winter Olympics.

Alba's truffle		Piemonte's delights

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Asti - the lands of moscato wine.   Meeting with your guide in your hotel.   Departure for a tour through the hills which produce some of the finest red (Barbera) and white (Moscato d’Asti, Asti Spumante) wines of Piedmont. Arrival in Canelli, the homeland of the Asti Spumante (white sparkling wine) and Moscato d’Asti (sweet white wine) following a scenic road through the hills.

Visit one of the historic wineries of the towns Gancia or Contratto with their beautiful cellars called “underground cathedrals” which stretch under the town and final wine-tasting.    Transfer to Nizza Monferrato with a visit of the Bersano Museum which is dedicated to the farming tradition.  Then, visit of the Bersano winery with final wine-tasting.   Lunch in a typical osteria of the town hosted in the underground cellars of the XVIII century Palazzo Crova (not included in the price).

Asti center: half day

A guided tour through the historic centre of the city famous for the Palio, the traditional horse race which takes place every 3rd Sunday of September.    From Piazza Alfieri, dedicated to the famous playwright Vittorio Alfieri who was born in Asti in 1749, you may reach the Romanesque-gothic Collegiate Church of San Secondo.   Then visit the baroque Town Hall, the theatre, and walk through the medieval towers and buildings up to the gothic cathedral. 

Your tour continues in the Crypt of Sant'Anastasio, a collection of some Roman ruins, an VIII-X century grave-yard area, romanesque capitels, etc., and finish in the Complex of San Pietro in Consavia, built as an imitation of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where you can also visit a paleontological and an archeological museum (the latter with some Egyptian finds).    For those who love shopping, a walk along the Corso Alfieri with its elegant shops is not to be missed. 

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Turin (Torino) 

View of Turin under the mist and the Alps beyond

Turin is a major city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the right bank of the Po River.  Turin is well-known as the home of the Shroud of Turin and Juventus FC, headquarters of Fiat and Lancia automobile manufacturers and host of the 2006 Winter Olympics.  It has been the capital of the Duchy of Savoy since 1563, then of the Kingdom of Savoy and finally the first capital of the unified Italy.

 

The Royal City:  half or full day
Guided tour on foot of the city historic centre with its important monuments: the Cathedral where the Holy Shroud is kept, the Royal Palace and its beautiful gardens, the Church of the Great Mother of God, the Porte Palatine (remains of Roman walls) and the Roman district, the Mole Antonelliana which hosts the new National Cinema Museum, and the elegant Piazza San Carlo with the historic cafés where you may taste the delicious bicherin drink prepared with the traditional Gianduja chocolate.

Moreover, a visit of the Egyptian Museum, second only to the one in Cairo, cannot be missed.  And finally, driving just a few miles from the city, you may visit the Basilica of Superga which stands on the hill overlooking Turin and go down in the royal tombs of the Savoia family remembering the main stages of the rich history of the city. 

• Turin Cathedral, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist (Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista) is the major church of Turin, Italy.   It was built during 1491-1498 and it is adjacent to an earlier campanile (1470).  The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, the current resting place of the Shroud of Turin, was added to the structure in 1668-1694.
  
  Passages underneath the church, a free tour is available for tourists to view artifacts relating to the shroud, as well as a video regarding the shroud and other historical artifacts.  The main church is also open for tours a few hours a day outside of mass.    In the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, only a replica can be viewed, as the Shroud itself is brought out for special occasions.

The Shroud, which is 4.42 meters long by 1.13 meters wide, is made of linen of "herringbone" weave.   According to tradition the Shroud is the burial cloth in which Jesus was wrapped after he was taken down from the cross.   The Gospels say that Joseph of Arimathea laid the body of Jesus in the tomb after wrapping in a "shroud".

During the exposition of 1898 Secondo Pia (a lawyer from the town of Asti) was authorized to photograph the Shroud.   He was astonished and profoundly moved when he saw that the photographic negative revealed the positive image (as we see in real life) of a man with a clear, impressive, majestic countenance: the imprints on the Shroud therefore behave like a naturally negative image, with the exception of the bloodstains and the marks of the wounds.

Studies and scientific reseach has been carried out over a century;  traces imprinted on the Shroud are of four different types...

1 - Fire marks  

2 - Water stains  

3 - Chiaroscuro imagine of a human figure  

4 - Bloodstains.

Royal Place - was the house of Savoy

• Royal Palace or Palazzo Reale, was the royal palace of the House of Savoy, built for the Madama Reale Christine Marie of France in the seventeenth century.
  
  Turin, today the capital of Piedmont, was a capital of the House of Savoy from the 12^th to the 19^th centuries and the Royal Palace contains much evidence of their aristocratic lifestyle.  The royal family resided in the palace from 1645.  Its rooms are decorated with rich tapestries and a collection of Chinese and Japanese vases.   The Royal Armory houses an extensive array of arms, including examples from the 16^th and 17^th centuries.   The Scala delle Forbici is a much-admired staircase by Filippo Juvarra.
  
  The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, with its spiral dome, was built in the west wing of the palace, joining the apse of the cathedral of St. John the Baptist, to house the famous Shroud of Turin which belonged to the family from 1453 until 1946.

National Museum of Cinema - Fondation Maria Adriana Prolo

The only one in Italy and among the most important ones in the world, the National Museum of Cinema is located inside the Mole Antonelliana, the historic building symbol of Turin.  The Mole Antonelliana, designed originally as a synagogue, has been completely restored as an absolutely unique shrine to cinema.   At 167 metres, the Mole is certainly the highest museum in the world.   A scenic lift, that goes up through the centre of the building to the dome and pavilion gives not only a view of the objects and exhibits on display with spectacular and fascinating effects and perspectives, but also a complete scenic panorama of the city and its surrounding mountains.

Another special element is the museum collection itself, among the most complete in the world including:

•  7,000 film titles in the cinema library;

•  9,000 objects, paintings and old prints; 

• 140,000 photographic documents; 

• 150,000 posters; 

• more than 200 magic lanterns 

• along with a collection of 4,500 slides.  

The museum is completed by its library with 20,000 volumes and 3,000 periodical titles, an audio library and print archives of great historical value.

A fantastic route has been planned for the visitor through the various collections and the early experiments with moving images up until the birth of cinema.  Ten "chapels" placed around the Temple Hall are dedicated to great themes in cinema history: Love and Death, Cabiria, Cinema in Torino, Animated Cinema, Experimental Cinema, Mirrors, The Absurd, Horror and Fantasy, True and False, Big Bang, all with film sets, photographs, designs and sketches... There will be showings of short films and animated films in the Temple Hall, the immense and spectacular heart of the museum situated in the centre of the Mole.

Opening Hours:   9am - 8pm Tuesday - Friday and Sunday, 

                         9am - 11pm Saturday. 

Closing days: closed on Monday

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Alessandria and its provinces are rich in history and tradition and there is no shortage of places to relive the past, maybe even while enjoying a nice meal and a glass of wine. 

This land of hills, plains, and mountains offers a rich variety of products: D.O.C. and D.O.C.G. wines (Brachetto of Acqui, Gavi of Novi, Cortese of Tortona, Dolcetto of Acqui and Ovada, Barbera of Alessandria and Casale, Moscato of Asti) all, white, red or flavoured, possessing a unique quality coming from their strong yet smooth taste and subtle perfume. 

The true glory of this area is, however, the truffle, an underground fungus that grows only in a soil rich in silicon near certain types of trees that favour their development and are common in Piedmont.   There are over 100 different varieties of truffle in nature: the most famous is without a doubt the White truffle of Alba. 

The Citadel of nAlessandria was built in the ex-district of Borgoglio, after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when Alessandria passed from the dominion of Spain to the one of the House of Savoy.

 

The name Alessandria was given to the city to honour Pope Alexander III, protector of the league.    Alessandria remained a free commune until 1348 when it was ruled by the Viscontis, then by the Sforzas, and after that the Spagnolis.    It was conquered by Prince Eugene in 1707 and given to the house of Savoia in 1713.   In 1728 Vittorio Amedeo II fortified Alessandria in order to create an important strategic location and bulwark in Piemont.   In 1849, after the fall of Novara, Alessandria was garrisoned for four months by Austria. 

Alessandria is famous for its city walls: it was, in fact, for a long time referred to as "Alessandria of straw" because its walls, though built of mud and straw, were able to resist outside attacks for four whole centuries until 1415 when the Earl of Carmagnola took the city.     Municipal Art Gallery is worth seeing.

 

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Alba: Homeland of white truffles- half day

Guided tour on foot of the historic centre of Alba, that back in the middle Ages was given the name of “the town of 100 towers”.   Today only four of them are left, all stand in Piazza del Risorgimento where beautiful medieval buildings and the late-gothic cathedral of San Lorenzo create a stunning atmosphere. 

 

Cathedral of San Lorenzo

Alba is also famous for the White Truffle Fair which takes place every October (this year at its first international edition!). You may then walk along via Maestra, the main street,  and visit shops and places where you can try and buy wines, chocolate and…..truffles!

 

 

White Truffle		view from Cavour's castle
Cavour's castle - Alba

 

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La Morra

 

In the midst of the rolling hills lies La Morra, one of the most famous towns in the Barolo area and in the provence of Cuneo.   In the beginning La Morra was a castle, in the 15^th century the ruling  french imposed the the citizens to distroy it and so today one can climb the ancient glacis to admire the wonderful panorama:   vine-yards, hills and valleys, villages, castles and watch towers.     La Morra is an old settlement - there has been found many reports from the roman times, but the traces of its history is more alive today due to the names of some of the terrory localities: Costa Ungaresca reminds us the raid of the Hungarians in year 1000, Serra dei Turchi the devastating Saracen.

 

 

La Morra		Vine-yard in autumn

 

A long major wine growing region, it was illegal in La Morra to cut down a Nebbiolo vine. The penalties for this offense range from a fine, to having a hand amputated to hanging.   In September is the winw festival - Festa del vino Barolo.

Whether you come to Barolo as a day trip or spend a bit longer, La Morra is in many ways the best village to start with.    The Renato Ratti winery lies down the hill from the village.   The winter’s cold weather sometimes closes their Barolo museum, but see it if you can; it’s a wonderful introduction to the wine’s history.   Next to the museum is the brand-new, environmentally-friendly winery, set into the hill (Think hobbits, except full-height and with an Italian flair).   The new tasting room offers a great view of some of their vineyards, so you can taste a wine, and say, “These grapes were grown right there.”

Notable vineyards: Arborina, Brunate and Cerequio (both of which overlap into the Barolo commune), Rocche dell’Annunziata.

 

 

San Rocco Church		Bell tower, 1710 - La Morra

 

 

Just a 10-minute drive down back roads, in the middle of nowhere, is a colorful church named Cappella della Brunate, it was built by a local farmer in 1914 as a church, never been consacrated, and later transformed into a small wine temple.   It was restored by the Cerreto winery, which now owns the land, and was painted in vivid colours by two american artists David Tremlett, internal, and Sol LeWitt, external.  

 

The chapel is open to the public - Ceretto, Aziende Vitivinicole srl, Loc. San Cassiano 34, 12051 Alba, CN.
 

 

Cappella della Brunate		In the distance is the town of La Morra

 

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In Marengo, for example, every two years there is a re-enactment of the famous battle which took place there between Napoleon's French army and the Austrians on June 14, 1800. This event is also commemorated by a museum - The Marengo Battle Museum - The Eastern Piedmont University.

 

Napoleon's Porta Ticinese

 

 

The old Borsalino factory, which housed the famous Hat Museum until a few years ago, is now home to the Eastern Piedmont University, it is of fairly recent institution.  At the beginning it was totally dependent on the University of Turin, and only in 1997 it became an autonomous, independent University. 

Despite its "youth", this university has been able to grow, thanks above all to the presence of keen, hard-working staff members and students.   Thanks to its convenient location, at the crossroads of the principal roads of communication, Alessandria can easily and quickly be reached from cities like Turin, Milan, and Genoa. 

 

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Every summer, Vignale Monferrato offers high level dance productions, with the presence of some of the most promising young dancers.   Vignaledanza (this is the name of the show) includes exhibitions of great interest.    In Vignale it is also possible to admire the Regional Wine Cellar, located in the hills of tufo. 

In addition, Casale Monferrato, we can remember the numerous churches and the local museums, such as the Museum of Natural History in Ovada, the Synagogue and the Jewish museum.

 

 

 

• Synagogue -The Temple of Casale Monferrato was built in 1595.  It is a monument of great artistic and historical interest, a valid proof of the important role played by the jewish community in this city, once capital of a prestigious independent marquisate, today still rich of beautiful artistic buldings.    Casale's Synagogue is open only on Sundays

 

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At Acqui Terme one can admire the stone vaults of the regional wine cellars situated in the majestic Robellini Palace, which contain 90% of the Brachetto wine produced in Italy.   For a quality toast we suggest a visit to Palazzo Robellini, the Regional Enoteca of Brachetto.

 

Town of Acqui Terme		La Bollente, Il cuore pulsante di Acqui Terme

 

In the heart of Acqui Terme, a few kilometres from Alessandria, there is the famous "Bollente" with its 540 litres of water per minute springing at a temperature of 75°C. The beneficial and therapeutic properties of this water were already recognized in Roman times, when Acqui Terme was well-known for its baths. 

 

Worth seeing:

• Piazza della Bollente, where there is a small marble chapel built by the architect Giovanni Cerruti where curative water gushes from its center.

• Castle of the Paleologi family

• Romanesque Cathedral of S. Pietro  

• the Roman Acqueduct

Recent works of restoration on historical buildings belonging to different ages, gave Acqui a new splendor. 

 

 

Wine cellar		Roman acqueduct - Acqui Terme

The thermal area has developed on the other bank of the river, around the ancient spa and the magnificent park.   Acqui Terme is a celebrated spa resort since Roman times. The Romans already knew the therapeutic properties of its springs. 

 

This town's fame soon stretched beyond its borders and even now, in an age of great medical progress, the therapeutic nature of the sodium iodine waters rich in bromine is still uncontested, especially in the treatment of respiratory problems, traumas, and rheumatism.   And so Acqui Terme offers an occasion to spend time healing and resting while staying in one of the peaceful and reserved accommodation facilities typical of this area.

 

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