About the Regions

Piemonte and its little brother region of Valle D’Aosta create Italy’s portal to Western Europe, by sharing borders with France and Switzerland. These two regions, aside from Torino the capital of Piemonte, consist mostly of mountain peaks and vast countryside (in fact 60% of Italy’s entire rice production is concentrated in this area). Starting in the south and working north the terrain of Piemonte goes from flat farmland to gradually working its way up to the home of some of the highest peaks in the Alps. Piemonte in English means "foot of the mountains" and that is what the region is. Valle D’Aosta, which is Italy’s smallest region, finds itself between the highest mountains in Europe, hence the name "Aosta Valley".

For over seven hundred years these two regions were the property of the French. So don’t be surprised if you hear some French being spoken while in these regions. The French influence is still very prevalent in this area. In fact it was The French who helped the people of Piemonte win back Lombardia from the control of the Austrians in 1859. This is important because one of Italy’s biggest national heroes, Vittorio Emanuele II who organized the "Risorgimento", was from the Piemonte region. The people even today are very proud of that fact.

Other than the capitals of Aosta and Torino the real attractions of this area are the numerous castles and churches scattered throughout the regions. Some of which contain paintings from local artists who created an entire school of painting in the region. The Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso offers nature lovers views of the Alps that they could never forget. Siestre offers skiers the opportunity to ski or hike the Alps.

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