Piedmont

show This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (March 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 2,224 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary Content in this edit is translated from the existing Italian Wikipedia article at [[:it:]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated page}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Piedmont Piemonte  (Italian) Piemont  (Piedmontese) Piemont  (Occitan) Piemont  (Arpitan)
Region of Italy
A view over Piedmont's Lake Maggiore, Mount Rosa, and Verbania
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 45°04′N 7°42′E / 45.067°N 7.700°E / 45.067; 7.700Coordinates: 45°04′N 7°42′E / 45.067°N 7.700°E / 45.067; 7.700
Country	Italy
Capital	Turin
Government
• President	Alberto Cirio (FI)
Area
• Total	25,402 km2 (9,808 sq mi)
Population  (31 January 2021)
• Total	4,269,714
• Density	170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	English: Piedmontese Italian: Piemontese
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	IT-21
GDP (nominal)	€137 billion (2018)[1]
GDP per capita	€31,500 (2018)[2]
HDI (2018)	0.888[3] very high · 10th of 21
NUTS Region	ITC1
Website	www.regione.piemonte.it

Piedmont (/ˈpiːdmɒnt/ PEED-mont; Italian: Piemonte, pronounced [pjeˈmonte]; Piedmontese, Lombard, Occitan and Arpitan: Piemont, Piedmontese pronunciation: [pjeˈmʊŋt], Occitan: [pjeˈmon]) is a region in northwest Italy, one of the 20 regions of the country.^[4] 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 25,402 km² (9,808 sq mi) making it the second largest region of Italy after Sicily and a population of 4,269,714 as of 31 January 2021. 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" (referring to the Alps), attested in documents from the end of the 12th century.^[5]

Geography[]

Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps, including Monviso, where the Po rises, and Monte Rosa. It borders with France (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur), Switzerland (Ticino and Valais) 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 (30.3%) and plains (26.4%).

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.

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 rank	City Name	Population (ab)	Surface (km2)	Density (ab/km2)	Altitude (m s.l.m.)	Province or metropolitan city
1	Turin	875,698	130.17	6,786	239	TO
2	Novara	104,411	103.05	1,013	162	NO
3	Alessandria	93,884	203.97	460	95	AL
4	Asti	76,424	151.82	504	123	AT
5	Moncalieri	57,060	47.63	1,197	260	TO
6	Cuneo	56,116	119.88	468	534	CN
7	Collegno	49,940	18.12	2,756	302	TO
8	Rivoli	48,819	29.52	1,653	390	TO
9	Nichelino	48,182	20.64	2,334	229	TO
10	Settimo Torinese	47,704	32.37	1,473	207	TO

Other towns of Piedmont with more than 20,000 inhabitants sorted by population :

Population rank	City Name	Population (ab)	Surface (km2)	Density (ab/km2)	Altitude (m s.l.m.)	Province or metropolitan city
11	Vercelli	46,808	79.85	586	130	VC
12	Biella	44,860	46.68	961	417	BI
13	Grugliasco	37,906	13.12	2,889	293	TO
14	Chieri	36,778	54.30	677	305	TO
15	Pinerolo	35,778	50.28	711	376	TO
16	Casale Monferrato	34,565	86.32	400	116	AL
17	Venaria Reale	34,248	20.29	1,687	262	TO
18	Alba	31,419	54.01	581	172	CN
19	Verbania	30,933	36.62	844	197	VB
20	Bra	29,705	59.61	498	285	CN
21	Carmagnola	29,052	96.38	301	240	TO
22	Novi Ligure	28,257	54.22	521	199	AL
23	Tortona	27,575	99.29	278	122	AL
24	Chivasso	26,704	51.31	520	183	TO
25	Fossano	24,743	130.72	189	375	CN
26	Ivrea	23,598	30.19	781	253	TO
27	Orbassano	23,240	22.05	1,053	273	TO
28	Mondovì	22,592	87.25	258	395	CN
29	Borgomanero	21,709	32.36	670	307	NO
30	Savigliano	21,306	110.73	192	321	CN
31	Trecate	20,329	38.38	529	136	NO
32	Acqui Terme	20,054	33.30	602	156	AL

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 (c. 220 BC), who founded several colonies there including Augusta Taurinorum (Turin) and Eporedia (Ivrea). After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region was successively invaded by the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths (5th century), East Romans, Lombards (6th century), and Franks (773).

In the 9th–10th centuries there were further incursions by the Magyars, Saracens and Muslim Moors.^[6] At the time Piedmont, as part of the Kingdom of Italy within the Holy Roman Empire, was subdivided into several marches and counties.

In 1046, Otto of Savoy added Piedmont to the County of Savoy, with a capital at Chambéry (now in France). Other areas remained independent, such as the powerful comuni (municipalities) 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^[7] and 1848–1849. This process is sometimes referred to as Piedmontisation.^[8] However, the efforts were later countered by the efforts of rural farmers.^[9][10]

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.^[11]

• 

  The Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi, in Nichelino, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• 

  The Sacra di San Michele, a symbol of Piedmont

Economy[]

The gross domestic product (GDP) 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.^[12]

Since 2006 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.

Automotive[]

The region contains major industrial centres, the most important of which is Turin, home to the FIAT conglomerate, but mass-market FIAT cars are not produced anymore, only small-scale manufacturing of luxury Maserati cars (36,702 in 2020). ^[13] Most of the ex-FIAT plants now belong to other companies: aerospace is owned by Leonardo, turbo jet engines by General Electric, high-speed trains by Alstom, bearings by SKF. FIAT does not exist anymore as an independent company, car production belongs to Stellantis, and trucks, buses, tractors, agriculture and construction machines are produced by the independent company CNH Industrial (most manufacturing activity takes place in the United States, in Piedmont only the production of New Holland excavators in San Mauro Torinese and IVECO diesel engines in Turin). Neither of them are headquartered in Turin anymore, however, some research and development centres are still working.

Formerly famous automotive design companies also were sold to global automotive groups: Italdesign Giugiaro to Volkswagen, Ghia to Ford, Pininfarina to Mahindra; Bertone goes into bankruptcy in 2014. Massive decline in automotive industry caused that other regions like Veneto (€163 billion in 2018) and Emilia-Romagna (€161 billion in 2018) surpassed Piedmont (€137 billion in 2018) in GDP and relative high unemployment. The peak of Italian motor vehicle production is reached in 1989 with 2.22 million units, but in 2019 (before COVID pandemic) it was only 0.92 million units. Even existing Italian car production now relocated to South Italy: Pomigliano d'Arco (140,478 in 2020), Melfi (229,848 in 2020), Atessa (257,026 in 2020) because of cost cutting. ^[13]

There are some automotive suppliers of:

• exhaust systems, electronic systems, suspension systems and automotive lighting in Venaria Reale and Rivalta di Torino from Magneti Marelli
• dual-clutch transmission, gearboxes, drivelines and their mechatronics components from Dana Graziano
• bearings from SKF
• tires (Michelin and Pirelli)

Electronics and Industrial Equipment[]

There are some important companies in high-tech manufacturing: Comau (industrial robots) and Prima Industrie (laser equipment). Silicon wafer production is in Novara by MEMC. Olivetti, once a major electronics industry whose plants were in Scarmagno and Ivrea, has now turned into a small-scale computer service company and not produce computers anymore. 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.

• 

  Excavator
  New Holland E 215B

• 

  Telescopic Handler Merlo Roto

• 

  Robot
  Comau Aura

• 

  High-speed train
  Alstom AGV

Aerospace and Defence[]

Actually one of the most important industries in Piedmont is military aerospace with plants:

• Leonardo Aircraft Turin-Caselle (Nord and Sud), final assembly of multi-role attack jet Eurofighter Typhoon, ground-attack jet AMX and military transport aircraft C-27J Spartan

• Leonardo Aircraft Novara-Cameri, final assembly of stealth multi-role attack jet Lockheed Martin F-35

• General Electric Avio Aero in Rivalta di Torino, Turin-Sangone, Borgaretto, manufacturing of mechanical transmissions for gas turbine, foundry

• Avio in Turin, final assembly of rocket Vega

• 

  Eurofighter Typhoon

• 

  Lockheed Martin F-35

• 

  Alenia C27J Spartan

• 

  AMX

• 

  Vega C

Wool Textile[]

Italy is still the world largest exporter of carded (71.8% in 2018)^[14] and combed (73.4% in 2018)^[15] wool fabrics. They are only 2 types of fabrics, which are not dominated by Chinese textile export. There are 3 industrial districts of wool processing in Italy, one of them Biella is located in Piedmont. Some basic stages of wool processing (not complete):

• 

  Scouring

• 

  Carding

• 

  Combing

• 

  Weaving

Jewelry[]

In Valenza Po exists one of four Italian industrial jewellery district, where a lot of small companies exists, but also factories from big houses like Damiani, Bulgari and Cartier (still in construction till 2023).

• 

  Bulgari Manufactur in Valenza

• 

  Cartier: Bismarck sapphire necklace

• 

  Cartier: Mackay emerald and diamond necklac

Food[]

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. A chain of food halls Eataly works In collaboration to Slow Food. Piedmont is the leading producer of confectionery, coffee, rice and white truffles in Italy. It has rank 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). The typical food industries in Piedmont are:

• alcoholic beverages
  • production of quality dry red wines from Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto grapes
  • production of quality dry white wines
  • production of sweet white wines from Dolcetto and Erbaluce grapes
  • production of vermouth, which was invented in Piedmont
  • production of sparkling wine Asti Spumante, Alta Langa, Gavi
• coffee
  • production of coffee Lavazza
  • production of coffee/ chocolate liqueur Bicherin
• confectionery
  • production of traditional Chocolate Gianduiotto
  • production of different kind of chocolate and pralines
  • production of torrone
  • production of sweet paste Nutella
  • production of biscotto
• delicacy
  • production of white truffles from Alba and related products with white truffles like condiments, honey, salami and prosciutto
  • production of high-quality marinated beef Gradisca or dried beef Bresaola
• cereals
  • production of dry risotto mixes

• 

  Wine Barolo

• 

  Vermouth Martini

• 

  Asti Spumante

• 

  Coffee Lavazza

• 

  Chocolate Gianduiotto

• 

  Nutella

• 

  White Truffles from Alba

• 

  Risotto ai funghi porcini

Unemployment[]

The unemployment rate stood at 7.5% in 2020.^[16]

Year	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Unemployment rate	4.1%	4.2%	5.1%	6.8%	7.5%	7.6%	9.2%	10.5%	11.3%	10.2%	9.3%	9.1%	8.2%	7.7%	7.5%

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.^[17] 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 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 km (34 mi) 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.^[18] 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 (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%.^[19]

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 (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.^[20] 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.^[21] 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,^[22] the network of the Royal Residences represents an example worth of notice.

Transport[]

Land[]

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. The region has the longest motorway network amongst the Italian regions (about 800 km). 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).^[17]

There is a Turin–Milan high-speed railway, travel time is only 52 minutes.

Air[]

Turin-Caselle International Airport has domestic and international flights and handle 3,952,158 passengers and 3,334 tons of cargo in 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic). ^[17]

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.^[23]

Demographics[]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1861	2,759,000	—
1871	2,928,000	+6.1%
1881	3,090,000	+5.5%
1901	3,319,000	+7.4%
1911	3,414,000	+2.9%
1921	3,439,000	+0.7%
1931	3,458,000	+0.6%
1936	3,418,000	−1.2%
1951	3,518,000	+2.9%
1961	3,914,000	+11.3%
1971	4,432,000	+13.2%
1981	4,479,000	+1.1%
1991	4,303,000	−3.9%
2001	4,215,000	−2.0%
2010 (Est.)	4,456,000	+5.7%
2017	4,392,526	−1.4%
Source: ISTAT 2001

31 December 2018 largest resident foreign citizens groups[citation needed]
Country of birth	Population
Romania	147,916
Morocco	54,151
Albania	40,919
China	20,091
Nigeria	12,638
Peru	11,579
Ukraine	10,435
Moldova	8,945
Egypt	7,889
Senegal	7,626
North Macedonia	6,463
Philippine	6,309
India	5,301
Pakistan	5,084

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. The Metropolitan City of Turin has 335 inhabitants per km², whereas Verbano-Cusio-Ossola is the least densely populated province, with 72 inhabitants per km².^[24]

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.^[24] 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, the Italian national institute of statistics (ISTAT) 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 (mostly from Romania, Albania, and Ukraine) with smaller communities of African immigrants.

Government and politics[]

The Regional Government (Giunta Regionale) is presided by the President of the Region (Presidente della Regione), 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 (Vice Presidente).^[25] In the last regional election, which took place on 29–30 March 2010, Roberto Cota (Lega Nord) defeated incumbent Mercedes Bresso (Democratic Party). 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. Sergio Chiamparino has been in charge between 2014 and 2019, when Alberto Cirio (Forza Italia) became the new President of the Region.

Administrative divisions[]

Piedmont is divided into eight provinces:

Province	Area (km2)	Population	Density (inhabitants/km2)
Province of Alessandria	3,560	431,885	121.3
Province of Asti	1,504	219,292	145.8
Province of Biella	913	181,089	204.9
Province of Cuneo	6,903	592,060	85.7
Province of Novara	1,339	371,418	277.3
Metropolitan City of Turin	6,821	2,291,719	335.9
Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola	2,255	160,883	71.3
Province of Vercelli	2,088	176,121	84.3

Culture[]

Languages[]

As in the rest of Italy, Italian is the official national language. The main local languages are Piedmontese, Insubric (spoken in the eastern part of the region), Occitan (spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Province of Cuneo and the Metropolitan City of Turin), and Franco-Provençal (spoken by another minority in the alpine heights of the Metropolitan City of Turin), like in the Susa valley and Walser (spoken by a minority in the Province of Vercelli and Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola).

Sport[]

Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics.^[26]

In football, notable clubs in Piedmont include Turin-based Juventus and Torino, who have won 43 official top-flight league championships (as of the 2019-20 season) 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 (male) and AGIL Novara (female), basketball teams Biella Basketball and Junior Casale, ice hockey team Hockey Club Turin, and roller hockey side , who have won three league titles, an Italian Cup and two CERS Cups.

See also[]

Citations[]

General sources[]

• Collier, M. (2003). Italian Unification, 1820–71. Heinemann: Oxford. ISBN 9780435327545.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piedmont.

Wikisource has the text of The New Student's Reference Work article "Piedmont".

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Piedmont.

• Regional government website (in Italian)
• "Piedmont" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.