Discover Piedmont 2026-27

The Sacra di San Michele, with its New Monastery, New Church and Tower of the Bell’Alda, is undoubtedly one of the most mysterious and magical places in the whole of Piedmont. Beyond its artistic and architectural beauty and its history, the Sacra is famous because experts in esotericism consider it one of the three points on a line of energy (together with Mont Saint-Michel in France and Monte Sant’Angelo in Puglia). A place full of charm and mystery, in short, and absolutely not to be missed.

Turin, the birthplace of chocolate.

This delicious drink was officially licensed in 1678 by Madama Reale Giovanna Battista of Nemours, and by the eighteenth century chocolate had become solid, turning into the chocolate bar. Piedmont saw the birth of the first great companies such as Caffarel, where the new craft was taught even to aspiring chocolatiers from Switzerland. Gianduja was born in 1865 thanks to Michel Prochet who, by blending chocolate with toasted hazelnuts to save on cocoa, unwittingly invented the great star of Piedmontese confectionery: the gianduiotto. Turin has always been Europe’s master in the art of working chocolate, ever since it devised an ingenious system for separating cocoa butter – which had until then limited its use to drinks alone – thus obtaining a solid chocolate paste. It was the start of a confectionery tradition that would grow enormously and make Turin famous throughout the world. To this day the city holds the national record for the production of irresistible pralines.

An invitation to Court… a morning at Venaria Reale

After years of intensive work, this masterpiece by the great architects of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries came back to life in 2007. It is a wonderful opportunity to relax to the sound of Baroque music, to watch the Water Theatre of the largest musical fountain in Europe, and finally to be left breathless before the magnificence of the Great Gallery, the transfiguring light of the Chapel of Sant’Uberto and the grandeur of the Citroniera, absolute masterpieces by Filippo Juvarra. In the newly designed gardens, entirely reclaimed from scrubland just a few years ago, our gaze will wander over the waters of the Peschiera and the Canal, the rigorous symmetry of the parterres and the richness of the seventeenth-century garden, as well as the works of modern artists exhibited in the Lower Park. The Stables, too, host shows, concerts and major events. The Venaria Reale complex is, in short, an immense, varied and evocative space of extraordinary charm… one that cannot fail to captivate us!

Alba, in the heart of the Langhe, is set in a truly enchanting landscape: its territory is characterised by gentle hills abounding in the renowned vineyards whose fruits have made the area famous. Piedmont’s wine production is in fact known the world over thanks to the fine wines of the Alba area, such as Barolo and Barbaresco, Barbera and Dolcetto. The Langhe, lying between the provinces of Asti and Cuneo, is now celebrated well beyond the borders of Piedmont for its scenery and its food and wine, and it was precisely thanks to its natural profile and its vast and prized wine production that in 2014 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, together with the Roero and Monferrato areas. The town of Alba belongs to the Bassa Langa, renowned not only for its extensive and outstanding wine production but also for its truffles, in particular the celebrated white truffle of Alba. We begin our itinerary by discovering some of the town’s main civic and religious buildings: we start with the Town Hall which, given its central position and the role it has played in the town’s history, is one of Alba’s main attractions. Probably built on the site of an ancient Roman building, the town hall houses several paintings of the highest value. The council chamber holds a work by the celebrated Alba-born painter Macrino d’Alba (16th century), the Virgin and Child, while along the walls of the town hall’s main staircase a fine fresco depicting a splendid Adoration of the Magi stands out. The town’s main religious building, meanwhile, stands in Piazza Risorgimento, in the heart of the town centre: Alba Cathedral, dedicated to the town’s patron saint, San Lorenzo, was most probably built around the 12th century, then restored and remodelled repeatedly over the centuries until it reached its present appearance, the result of work carried out at the end of the 19th century. Alba Cathedral is also known throughout Piedmont for its tall bell tower, which encloses the original 12th-century belfry. The visit to Alba ends at the beautiful Church of San Domenico, founded in this lovely Piedmontese town in 1292 and completed over the centuries, before undergoing a restoration begun in the 1930s. The church has a very interesting Gothic layout, and on the façade is a fresco depicting the Madonna of the Rosary with St Dominic and St Catherine. The interior, laid out in three naves, is decorated with fine frescoes and, being free of furnishings, is often used for cultural events, exhibitions and concerts.

The Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, in the hamlet of the same name on the outskirts of Turin, is a magnificent work by Filippo Juvarra, begun in 1729 at the behest of Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, who entrusted him with the project with the intention of giving the existing castle a regal appearance befitting the noble House of Savoy. Victor Amadeus II also intended to present his son Charles Emmanuel III with a lodge for hunting and festivities. In 1731 the first hunt was held in the grounds of the complex. In those years, however, Stupinigi was not the Savoys’ primary residence: they spent relatively little time there, mainly during the hunting season. Work continued until the end of the 18th century and over the years, under the direction of various architects, the building was extended and enriched with detail. A great many illustrious figures stayed at this hunting lodge: Emperor Joseph II, the Tsarevich Paul Romanov, Ferdinand I and Caroline of Bourbon and even Napoleon Bonaparte, who stayed here in 1805 shortly before his coronation. The wedding of Victor Emmanuel II was also celebrated here in 1842, before the lodge was ceded to the state in 1919. Since 1929 the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge has been the property of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. Today the palace complex is open to the public. The heart of the palace is undoubtedly the splendid oval hall, frescoed with paintings evoking the art of hunting. From here, forming a St Andrew’s cross, four wings lead to the royal apartments and the guest apartments. The hunting theme is taken up again in the decoration of the palace’s other rooms, furnished with sumptuous Rococo furniture. The building also contains a chapel dedicated to Sant’Uberto and a gallery of portraits of members of the Savoy royal family. Also worthy of note is the park adjoining the lodge, now the Stupinigi Nature Park, which covers 1,700 hectares and was designed in 1724 on the French model, later taking on the appearance of an English garden. On 1 June 2016, after eight years of work, the lodge’s garden was reopened to the public. This beautiful green extension of Juvarra’s royal residence has now been restored to its original design, in which the Ballroom looks out over the great avenues. The Stupinigi Hunting Lodge and its garden are a true jewel of Juvarra’s architecture.