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Piedmont, Italian Piemonte, regione(region), northwestern Italy, comprising the province(provinces) of Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Torino, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, and Vercelli.
To the south, west, and north Piedmont is surrounded by the vast arc of the Ligurian Apennines and the Maritime, Cottian, Graian, and PennineAlps. The core of Piedmont is the Po River valley, which lies open to the east and consists of some of the best farmlands in Italy. The name piedmont(“at the foot of a mountain”) has become a term generally applied to such a region. South of the Po River are the low and intensively cultivated hills of Monferrato and of Langhe. In the foothills of the Alps are Lakes Maggiore and Orta. The Po and its tributaries, the Dora Baltea, Dora Riparia, Sesia, Tanaro, and Scrivia, provide the area with ample water for agriculture.
In Roman times Piedmont was important because its passes connected Italy with the transalpine provinces of Gaul. After periods of Lombard and Frankish rule, the house of Savoy emerged as the most important feudatory of northwestern Italy. This dynasty first became powerful as successor to the marquesses of Ivrea and of Turin, but after 1400 Savoy’s control of both slopes of the Alps, ruling over what is now French Savoie and over Piedmont, gave it undisputed sovereignty over much of the region. After 1700 practically all of Piedmont passed under Savoyard domination, and the addition of Sardiniaand its territories provided still wider interests. During the Risorgimento(movement for Italian independence), Piedmont led the attempts of 1848, 1859, and 1866 to unite all of Italy, and Victor Emmanuel II, originally king of Piedmont and Sardinia, became modern Italy’s first king in 1861.
The Alpine arc of Piedmont plays a vital part in the power production of the region and of northern Italy as a whole; the region’s hydroelectric plants supply energy for industry, transportation, and domestic use. The forests provide lumber, and the Alpine and sub-Alpine meadows afford excellent pasture for cattle as the base of a prosperous dairy industry. The lowlands produce wheat and rice, vegetables and fruit, and milk and cheese. The hills south of the Po River are noted for the production of some of Italy’s highest-quality wines, both of the sparkling (Asti) and still (Barbera) varieties. (The historic vineyard landscape of Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage sitein 2014.)
Piedmont forms part of the great industrial triangle of northern Italy (Turin-Genoa-Milan), and its manufactures are widely diversified. Turin—the capital, largest city, and leading industrial centre—is the site of one of the largest automobile plants in Europe, as well as of printing, textile, and machine industries. Ivrea, northeast of Turin, is the headquarters of one of Europe’s leading makers of office machinery. Textiles, chemicals, and glass are among the other important Piedmontese industries. The principal rail connection between France and Italy, the Turin–Col du Mont Cenis (Mount Cenis Tunnel)–Paris line, passes through Piedmont, while to the north the Simplon Tunnel leads to Switzerland. An excellent network of roads and expressways ties all parts of the region closely together. Genoa, easily reached from Piedmont, is the region’s port. Developments in the late 20th century included an all-weather road between France and Italy, passing through a 7.3-mile (11.7-km) tunnel under Mont Blanc and thence through the Valle d’Aostato Turin and Milan. Area 9,807 square miles (25,399 square km). Pop. (2011) 4,363,916.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen, Corrections Manager.
Piedmont was inhabited in early historic times by Celtic–Ligurian tribes such as the Tauriniand the Salassi. They were later subdued by the Romans(c. 220 BC), who founded several colonies there including Augusta Taurinorum (Turin) and Eporedia(Ivrea). After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region was successively invaded by the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths (5th century), East Romans, Lombards (6th century), and Franks(773).
In the 9th–10th centuries there were further incursions by the Magyars and Saracens.[citation needed]At the time Piedmont, as part of the Kingdom of Italy within the Holy Roman Empire, was subdivided into several marches and counties.
In 1046, Oddo of Savoy added Piedmont to their main territory of Savoy, with a capital at Chambéry (now in France). Other areas remained independent, such as the powerful comuni(municipalities) of Asti and Alessandriaand the marquisates of Saluzzo and Montferrat. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy in 1416, and Duke Emanuele Filiberto moved the seat to Turin in 1563. In 1720, the Duke of Savoy became King of Sardinia, founding what evolved into the Kingdom of Sardiniaand increasing Turin’s importance as a European capital.
The Republic of Alba was created in 1796 as a French client republic in Piedmont. A new client republic, the Piedmontese Republic, existed between 1798 and 1799 before it was reoccupied by Austrian and Russian troops. In June 1800 a third client republic, the Subalpine Republic, was established in Piedmont. It fell under full French control in 1801 and it was annexed by France in September 1802. In the congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Sardinia was restored, and furthermore received the Republic of Genoa to strengthen it as a barrier against France.
Piedmont was a springboard for Italy’s unification in 1859–1861, following earlier unsuccessful wars against the Austrian Empire in 1820–1821[citation needed]and 1848–1849. This process is sometimes referred to as Piedmontisation.[6]However, the efforts were later countered by the efforts of rural farmers.[7][8]
The House of Savoy became Kings of Italy, and Turin briefly became the capital of Italy. However, when the Italian capital was moved to Florence, and then to Rome, the administrative and institutional importance of Piedmont was deeply reduced and the only remaining recognition to Piedmont’s historical role was that the crown prince of Italy was known as the Prince of Piedmont. After Italian unification, Piedmont was one of the most important regions in the first Italian industrialization.[9]
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