Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is in the northwest part of the country. It shares borders with Liguria to the south, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna to the east, and the Aosta Valley to the northwest. It also touches Switzerland to the north and France to the west.

Piedmont covers an area of 25,387.07 km² (9,802.00 mi²). It is the second-largest region in Italy, after Sicily. As of 2026, it is the seventh-most populous region in Italy, with over four million people living there.

The capital of Piedmont is Turin. Turin has a rich history. It was the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865.

Etymology

The names Piedmont in French, Piemonte in Italian, and similar words all come from an old Latin phrase, Pedemontium or Pedemontis. This means "at the foot of the mountains," referring to the Alps. People began using this name in documents around the end of the 12th century.

History

Piedmont has a long and interesting history. Long ago, Celtic and Ligurian tribes, like the Taurini and the Salassi, lived there before the Romans came in 220 BC. The Romans built important towns such as Turin, called Augusta Taurinorum, and Ivrea, named Eporedia.

Over time, Piedmont changed rulers many times. After the Western Roman Empire ended, groups like the Burgundians, Ostrogoths, East Romans, Lombards, and Franks took control. Later, it became part of the Kingdom of Italy in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1046, Otto of Savoy added Piedmont to the County of Savoy, and in 1563, the capital moved to Turin. In 1720, the ruler of Savoy became King of Sardinia, starting the Kingdom of Sardinia.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Piedmont had several short-lived republics influenced by France. It was important in Italian unification during the 1850s and 1860s, and the rulers of Savoy later became Kings of Italy, with Turin briefly as the nation’s capital. Today, Piedmont is a key region in Italy, famous for historic places like the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Sacra di San Michele.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Piedmont

Piedmont is a beautiful area in northwest Italy. It is surrounded by the Alps on three sides. It touches France, Switzerland, and several Italian regions, including Lombardy, Liguria, Aosta Valley, and a small part of Emilia Romagna. The land here has many different shapes, with tall mountains, gentle hills, and wide flat areas.

The river Po, Italy's largest river, starts in Piedmont and runs through the region. The weather in Piedmont is usually mild, with cold, sunny winters and warm summers. Sometimes summer can bring thunderstorms. The area has many parks and safe spaces, such as the famous Gran Paradiso National Park.

Demographics

As of 2026, Piedmont has a population of 4,255,006 people, with slightly more females than males. Young people under 18 make up about 14% of the population, while older adults over 65 account for 27%.

The population density in Piedmont is less crowded than the rest of Italy, with about 168 people living in each square kilometer. The Metropolitan City of Turin is more crowded, with 323 people per square kilometer, while Verbano-Cusio-Ossola is much less crowded, with only 68 people per square kilometer. In recent years, Piedmont has seen a small increase in population due to people moving in from other countries.

Among the residents, most are from Italy, but there are also many people from Romania, Morocco, and Albania.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Piedmont

The government of Piedmont is led by a president who is elected for five years. The president works with 14 ministers, including a vice president. In 2010, Roberto Cota from Lega Nord won the election. In 2014, Sergio Chiamparino from the Democratic Party became president. Later, Alberto Cirio from Forza Italia became president.

Main article: List of municipalities of Piedmont

Piedmont is divided into 8 provinces.

Economy

Piedmont has a strong economy. In 2018, the region’s total value of goods and services, called gross domestic product (GDP), was 137.4 billion euros. This was 7.8% of all of Italy’s GDP. On average, each person in Piedmont earned about 31,300 euros that year. This is a bit more than the average across the European Union.

Piedmont is famous for its industry, especially around the city of Turin. Turin was home to the Fiat car company. Fiat no longer makes regular cars but still makes luxury vehicles like Maserati. Many former Fiat factories now belong to other companies. These factories make things like airplanes, train engines, and machinery. The area also has companies that supply parts for cars, such as exhaust systems and tires. Other important industries in Piedmont include making high-tech machines, airplanes, and computers. The region grows a lot of rice, grapes for wine, and milk. Piedmont is famous for its wines like Barolo and Barbaresco. Tourism is also important, with many visitors coming to see places like the lakes and the historic Royal Residences of the Savoy family.

Transport

Piedmont has important ways to travel by air and land. Turin-Caselle International Airport offers flights within Italy and to other countries. By land, Piedmont connects to France through tunnels like the Fréjus and Colle di Tenda, and to Switzerland via passes such as the Simplon. The region also has many roads, with the longest network of motorways in Italy. There is a fast train service between Turin and Milan.

Education

Piedmont has a long history of supporting education and is home to some of Italy’s most important universities. The University of Turin is one of the leading universities in the country. Other well-known schools include the Polytechnic University of Turin and the University of Eastern Piedmont. These schools help make Piedmont a center for learning and research.

Main article: University of Turin and Category:Universities in Piedmont

Culture

Languages

Italian is the official language of Piedmont, just like in the rest of Italy. But there are also many local languages spoken there. Piedmontese is the most common, but you can also hear Insubric in the east, Occitan in some valleys, Franco-Provençal in the high mountains, and Walser in a few places.

Cuisine

Piedmontese cuisine is famous because the region borders France and Switzerland. It has many delicious foods, like appetizers before the main meal. Piedmont makes lots of cheeses and wines, more than any other region in Italy. Some popular dishes are agnolotti (a type of pasta), vitello tonnato (tuna-flavored veal), and bagna càuda (a warm dip). The region is also known for tagliolini, a kind of egg pasta.

Piedmont is home to the Slow Food Movement, which started in the town of Bra. This movement helps protect traditional ways of making food. The town of Alba is famous for its white truffles, which are a special kind of mushroom used in many dishes. Piedmont also makes many types of wine, like Barolo and Asti Spumante, and is a big producer of chocolate, coffee, and sweets like Nutella and torrone.

Museums

Piedmont has many museums that show beautiful art, history, and more. Some of the famous ones are the Accorsi - Ometto Museum, Castle of Moncalieri, Castle of Racconigi, Castle of Rivoli, and the National Automobile Museum. There are also museums for art, like the Sabauda Gallery and the Pinacoteca Albertina, and special places like the Palace of Venaria and the Royal Palace of Turin.

Sport

Piedmont is home to some of Italy's most famous football clubs, such as Turin-based Juventus and Torino. Juventus has won many league titles, as well as Coppa Italia titles and Supercoppa Italiana titles.

Turin also hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics. The event's logo featured the Mole Antonelliana building. The Olympic mascots were Neve, a female snowball, and Gliz, a male ice cube.