Explore Piedmont

Despite sitting just to the west of Milan and Lombardy, Piedmont is little-known and even less-visited, and it provides a glorious break from the crowds and touristy nature of Italy's more popular regions.

Here, charming medieval towns totally unbothered by tourism sit atop vineyard-carpeted hills surrounded by dense forests. Up north in the foothills of the Alps, the waters of Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta shimmer beneath the slopes of mountains that become ski resorts come winter. And then there's Turin, a regal city that was a Savoy stronghold, Italy's first capital, and then an industrial powerhouse that propelled much of the country's economic development after World War II

Largely unknown to outsiders, the pleasures of visiting this region are nonetheless myriad; quaint villages, gorgeous scenery, great wine, good food, and a window into authentic local life.