Piedmont


Piedmont is a region in northwest Italy, one of the 20 regions of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east and the Aosta Valley region to the northwest; it also borders Switzerland to the northeast and France to the west. It has an area of and a population of 4,377,941 as of 30 November 2017. The capital of Piedmont is Turin.

Toponymy

The name Piedmont comes from medieval Latin Pedemontium or Pedemontis, i.e., ad pedem montium, meaning "at the foot of the mountains", attested in documents from the end of the 12th century.

Geography

Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps, including Monviso, where the Po rises, and Monte Rosa. It borders with France, Switzerland and the Italian regions of Lombardy, Liguria, Aosta Valley and for a very small part with Emilia Romagna.
The geography of Piedmont is 43.3% mountainous, along with extensive areas of hills and plains.
Piedmont is the second largest of Italy's 20 regions, after Sicily. It is broadly coincident with the upper part of the drainage basin of the river Po, 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 the Alps and Apennines, which surround the region on three sides.
From the highest peaks, the land slopes down to hilly areas, and then to the Padan Plain. The boundary between the two is characterised by resurgent springs—typical of the Padan Plain—which supply fresh water to the rivers and a dense network of irrigation canals.
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 the Langhe, Roero and Montferrat to the plains. 7.6% of the entire territory is considered protected area. There are 56 different national or regional parks; one of the most famous is the Gran Paradiso National Park, between Piedmont and the Aosta Valley.

Major towns and cities

Population rankCity NamePopulation
Surface
Density
Altitude
Province or
metropolitan city
1Turin883.281130,176.786239TO
2Novara104.411103,051.013162NO
3Alessandria93.884203,9746095AL
4Asti76.424151,82504123AT
5Moncalieri57.06047,631.197260TO
6Cuneo56.116119,88468534CN
7Collegno49.94018,122.756302TO
8Rivoli48.81929,521.653390TO
9Nichelino48.18220,642.334229TO
10Settimo Torinese47.70432,371.473207TO

Other towns of Piedmont with more than 20,000 inhabitants sorted by population :
Population rankCity NamePopulation
Surface
Density
Altitude
Province or
metropolitan city
11Vercelli46.80879,85586130VC
12Biella44.86046,68961417BI
13Grugliasco37.90613,122.889293TO
14Chieri36.77854,30677305TO
15Pinerolo35.77850,28711376TO
16Casale Monferrato34.56586,32400116AL
17Venaria Reale34.24820,291.687262TO
18Alba31.41954,01581172CN
19Verbania30.93336,62844197VB
20Bra29.70559,61498285CN
21Carmagnola29.05296,38301240TO
22Novi Ligure28.25754,22521199AL
23Tortona27.57599,29278122AL
24Chivasso26.70451,31520183TO
25Fossano24.743130,72189375CN
26Ivrea23.59830,19781253TO
27Orbassano23.24022,051.053273TO
28Mondovì22.59287,25258395CN
29Borgomanero21.70932,36670307NO
30Savigliano21.306110,73192321CN
31Trecate20.32938,38529136NO
32Acqui Terme20.05433,30602156AL

History

Piedmont was inhabited in early historic times by Celtic-Ligurian tribes such as the Taurini and the Salassi. They were later subdued by the Romans, who founded several colonies there including Augusta Taurinorum and Eporedia. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region was successively invaded by the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths, East Romans, Lombards, and Franks.
In the 9th–10th centuries there were further incursions by the Magyars, Saracens and Muslim Moors. At the time Piedmont, as part of the Kingdom of Italy within the Holy Roman Empire, was subdivided into several marches and counties.
in 1856.
In 1046, Oddo of Savoy added Piedmont to the County of Savoy, with a capital at Chambéry. Other areas remained independent, such as the powerful comuni of Asti and Alessandria and the marquisates of Saluzzo and Montferrat. The County of Savoy became the Duchy of Savoy in 1416, and Duke Emanuele Filiberto moved the seat to Turin in 1563. In 1720, the Duke of Savoy became King of Sardinia, founding what evolved into the Kingdom of Sardinia and increasing Turin's importance as a European capital.
The Republic of Alba was created in 1796 as a French client republic in Piedmont. A new client republic, the Piedmontese Republic, existed between 1798 and 1799 before it was reoccupied by Austrian and Russian troops. In June 1800 a third client republic, the Subalpine Republic, was established in Piedmont. It fell under full French control in 1801 and it was annexed by France in September 1802. In the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Sardinia was restored, and furthermore received the Republic of Genoa to strengthen it as a barrier against France.
Piedmont was a springboard for Italian unification in 1859–1861, following earlier unsuccessful wars against the Austrian Empire in 1820–1821 and 1848–1849. This process is sometimes referred to as Piedmontisation. However, the efforts were later countered by the efforts of rural farmers.
The House of Savoy became Kings of Italy, and Turin briefly became the capital of Italy. However, when the Italian capital was moved to Florence, and then to Rome, the administrative and institutional importance of Piedmont was reduced. The only recognition of Piedmont's historical role was that the crown prince of Italy was known as the Prince of Piedmont. After Italian unification, Piedmont was one of the most important regions in the first Italian industrialization.

Economy

The region contains major industrial centres, the most important of which is Turin, home to the FIAT automobile works. Olivetti, once a major electronics industry whose plants were in Scarmagno and Ivrea, has now turned into a small-scale computer service company. Biella produces wool, tissues and silks. Alba is the home of Ferrero's chocolate factories and some mechanical industries.
building in Turin, the world headquarters of Fiat.
Since 2006, the Piedmont region has benefited from the start of the Slow Food movement and Terra Madre, events that highlighted the rich agricultural and viticultural value of the Po valley and northern Italy. In the same year, the Piemonte 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 gross domestic product of the region was 137.4 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 7.8% of Italy's GDP. GDP per capita at purchasing 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.
The unemployment rate stood at 8.2% in 2018.
Year2006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
Unemployment rate4.1%4.2%5.1%6.8%7.5%7.6%9.2%10.5%11.3%10.2%9.3%9.1%8.2%

.

Agriculture

Lowland Piedmont is a fertile agricultural region. The main agricultural products in Piedmont are cereals, including rice, representing more than 10% of national production, maize, grapes for wine-making, fruit and milk. 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 of vineyards are registered with DOC designations. It produces prestigious wines as Barolo and Barbaresco from the Langhe near Alba, and the Moscato d'Asti and sparkling Asti from the vineyards around Asti. The city of Asti is about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River and is one of the most important centres of Montferrat, one of the best known Italian wine districts in the world, declared officially on 22 June 2014 a UNESCO World Heritage site. Indigenous grape varieties include Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Freisa, Grignolino and Brachetto.

Tourism

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 of whom were foreign. The traditional leading areas for tourism in Piedmont are the Lake District, which accounts for 32.84% of total overnight stays, and the metropolitan area of Turin, which accounts for 26.51%.
In 2006, Turin hosted the XX Olympic Winter Games and in 2007 it hosted the XXIII Universiade. Alpine tourism tends to concentrate in a few highly developed stations like Alagna Valsesia and Sestriere. Around 1980, the long-distance trail Grande Traversata delle Alpi was created to draw more attention to the variety of remote, sparsely inhabited valleys.

Transport

There are links with neighbouring France via the Fréjus and Colle di Tenda tunnels as well as the Montgenèvre Pass. Piedmont also connects with Switzerland by the Simplon and Great St Bernard passes. It is possible to reach Switzerland via a normal road that crosses eastern Piedmont, starting from Arona and ending in Locarno, on the Swiss border. Turin International Airport has domestic and international flights. The region has the longest motorway network amongst the Italian regions. 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.

Education

The economy of Piedmont is anchored on a rich history of state support for higher education, including some of the leading universities in Italy. Piedmont is home to the famous University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the University of Eastern Piedmont and, more recently the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute.

Demographics

The population density in Piedmont is lower than the national average. In 2008 it was equal to 174 inhabitants per km2, compared to a national figure of about 200. It rises however to 335 inhabitants per km2 when just the Metropolitan City of Turin is considered, whereas Verbano-Cusio-Ossola is the less densely populated province.
The population of Piedmont followed a downward trend throughout the 1980s. This drop is the result of the natural negative balance, while the migratory balance since 1986 has again become positive because of an excess of new immigration over a stable figure for emigration.
The population as a whole has remained stable in the 1990s, although this is the result of a negative natural balance and a positive net migration.
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., the Italian national institute of statistics estimated that 310,543 foreign-born immigrants live in Piedmont, equal to 7.0% of the total regional population. Most immigrants come from Eastern Europe with smaller communities of African immigrants.

Government and politics

The Regional Government is presided by the President of the Region, who is elected for a five-year term and is composed by the President and the Ministers, who are currently 14, including a Vice President.
In the last regional election, which took place on 29–30 March 2010, Roberto Cota defeated incumbent Mercedes Bresso. In 2014 Cota chose not to stand again for President and the parties composing his coalition failed to agree on a single candidate, resulting in a landslide victory for Sergio Chiamparino, a Democrat who had been Mayor of Turin from 2001 to 2011.

Administrative divisions

Piedmont is divided into eight provinces:
ProvinceArea PopulationDensity
Province of Alessandria3,560431,885121.3
Province of Asti1,504219,292145.8
Province of Biella913181,089204.9
Province of Cuneo6,903592,06085.7
Province of Novara1,339371,418277.3
Metropolitan City of Turin6,8212,291,719335.9
Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola2,255160,88371.3
Province of Vercelli2,088176,12184.3

Culture

Languages

As in the rest of Italy, Italian is the official national language. The main local languages are Piedmontese, Insubric, Occitan, and Franco-Provençal, like in the Susa valley and Walser.

Sport

Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics.
In football, notable clubs in Piedmont include Turin-based Juventus and Torino, who have won 38 official top-flight league championships between them, more than any other city in Italy. Other smaller teams include the old "Piedmont Quadrilateral" components Novara, Alessandria, Casale, Pro Vercelli. With the pre-World War II success of Pro Vercelli and the dominance of Torino during the Grande Torino years and Juventus in more recent times, the region is the most successful in terms of championships won. Also Casale and Novese contributed with one scudetto each.
Other local teams include volleyball teams Cuneo and AGIL Novara, basketball teams Biella Basketball and Junior Casale, ice hockey team Hockey Club Turin, and roller hockey side Amatori Vercelli, who have won three league titles, an Italian Cup and two CERS Cups.