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The first castles date back to medieval times and were built at strategic points or in response to enemy attacks. ...

Baroque is Piedmontese because Piedmont is the quintessence of Baroque. The Baroque era is the Grand Siècle of a small gem-like state that echoed Paris and aspired to rule over Italy. The golden age of urban royal palaces, hillside villas and suburban “Delights”; of castles immersed in fairytale parks; of shrines, basilicas and churches embodying the grandiose faith of the powerful and the simple devotion of the poor. Piedmontese Baroque is the ésprit de geometrie of arcades, squares, and straight urban streets that enchanted a sentimental rationalist like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, that plunged Friedrich Nietzche into folly, that inspired the metaphysical restlessness of Giorgio De Chirico’s Piazze d’Italia. Just outside urin, we find a mosaic of palaces, villas, synagogues, castles. And the precious crown of Holy Mounts, proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2003. Piedmont is not just Baroque. But knowing Baroque means understanding Piedmont, because Baroque is the spirit of Piedmont. ...

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the Province of asti like a luxury hotel ...

One of the great pleasures in life is discovering that magical association which is created between cooking, products and the area. An unrepeatable alchemy which can only be experienced by visiting a place, its colours and fragrances. Tasting products right where they’re made. Meeting the chefs who make them into unique creations. Piedmont is not only the region producing the treasures of Italian wine and gastronomy such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Asti, Tartufo Bianco d’Alba and Nocciola Tonda Gentile. With its 369 recognised typical products, 45 D.O.C. wines and 8 D.O.C.G. wines Piedmont is a paradise which has said no to Genetically Modified Organisms. It is the happy land where for a chef it’s easy to put his deas into practice, to use his skill and imagination to create unforgettable taste experiences. ...