"Piemonte...my region" Top 5 Page for this destination Piemonte by Polly74

Piedmont has always known how to mix tradition and innovation, and in recent years it has become the symbol of an important, unique process of transformation.

Piedmont has an important history and a unique geographical position, which places it right at the heart of a system of European development.

Piedmont has never been as active as it has in recent years. The region, which played an essential role in the economic and social development of Italy in the 20th century, has embarked on a difficult and complex process of transformation, which is starting to show its first significant results. Today, the region's economic profile is that of an area of advanced development that continues to evolve.

Like other large European regions with a high level of industrial development, in the last twenty years, Piedmont has seen a rebalance between the various economic macro-sectors (agriculture, industry, services).

Piedmont is a real laboratory of creative ferment, able to generate continuous challenges which are taken on with the awareness of a great tradition and a deep passion for innovation.

The cultural system in Piedmont is based on a wide variety of galleries, museums, castles and sanctuaries.

In recent years projects have concentrated on restoring and conserving the 17 Savoy residences, which were recently recognised as World Heritage Sites by Unesco: they include the Royal Palace, Palazzo Madama, the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, Villa della Regina, the palace in Pollenzo, future home of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, and the Palace of Venaria Reale which is the largest restoration project in Europe.

Added to these is an array of museums of considerable artistic value: almost 130 in the province of Turin, and another 200 in the rest of the region. The most important are the Egyptian Museum, the Cinema Museum inside the "Mole Antonelliana" in Turin, and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rivoli castle, another beautiful Savoy residence.

On the cultural front, work is ongoing to convert some of the large monuments of industrial history, to extend the university facilities, and the offer of art, cinema, theatre and cultural events, as well as urban reclamation of old town centres and suburbs.
There have been some important projects to transform abandoned factories into centres of contemporary art and culture, like the Agnelli Gallery in Lingotto, the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation in Turin, and the Pistoletto Foundation in Biella.

• Pros:A wide range of natural landscapes, cities and historical sites
• Cons:Too much linked to Fiat production
• In a nutshell:My region!!!!