Property in Piemonte: discover this region

September 19th 2007

Piemonte may not be the most well known region of Italy but it has so much to offer at so many levels; its many natural beauties, its traditional wineries and great property...

The Region

Located in the very north-western corner of Italy, bordered by France, Switzerland, Liguria Lombardy and Valle d’Aosta, its name suggests it lies at the foot of the Alps. Its proximity to and strong links with France means that even today various French dialects are still spoken in the more remote valleys. The region boasts the source of the majestic Po River, as well as a number of other large Alpine rivers which flow through a series of pretty valleys.

Whether you’re looking for rustic villages perched on hilltops, world-renowned ski resorts or elegant apartments, you’re likely to find something in this area. Piemonte also encompasses one of Italy’s most western lakes: Lake Maggiore (and its sister Lake Orta).

Piemonte’s most important city, Turin, is a major city, the fourth largest in Italy; it is thoroughly modern, exciting and cosmopolitan. Dramatic, Baroque, and awash with in fine buildings, this central area extended to outlying neighbourhoods with varied and dignified nineteenth-century construction, with large piazzas, and broad boulevards.

Food & Wine

Along with wine, food and cooking play a key role in the make-up of the region. Piemonte’s cuisine is heavily influenced by French cooking and uses lots of marinated meats and vegetables, so it comes as no surprise to learn that the increasingly popular Slow Food movement started here, while the white truffles from Alba are considered to be Italy’s best.

Piemonte is considered the best organized region of Italy for wine tourism. Piemonte devotes over one hundred forty thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 6th among the 20 Italian regions with a total annual wine production of about ninety million gallons, the region produces 44 DOC wines. The best known strictly Italian white varieties are Arneis, Cortese, and Erbaluce. It is the centre for Nebbiolo, felt by many to be Italy’s noblest red variety, the base of Italy’s world famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Other Italian red varieties include Barbera, Brachetto, and Dolcetto.

Skiing

The mountains of Piemonte featured at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics provide a unique backdrop for winter sports. But they also provide peace and quiet for amateurs to have fun, space for beginners, and great cultural and gastronomic traditions.

Piemonte features 53 ski resorts, 1,300 kilometres of runs, and over 300 installations comprising aerial tramways, cableways, chair-lifts and ski-lifts, with a capacity of 400,000 people per hour. Well known resorts include Sestriere, Sauze D’oulx and Cervinia.

Winter sports that can be practised in Piemonte include: alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, free riding, ski mountaineering, horse trekking, driving sleighs pulled by Siberian huskies, paraskiing, heliskiing and much, much more.

Where to buy

If you are looking for a countryside location with a benign Mediterranean climate, then the areas of Monferrato and the Langhe, south of Turin, are worth considering. Although traditionally popular with the Swiss and the Germans, the British are slowly discovering the attractions of this southern part of the region, which offers a large amount of open countryside and easy proximity to the Ligurian coastline.

Acqui Terme; Situated on the left hand side of the Bormida river lies the town which boasts antique origins. Due to its favourable position and the considerable amount of thermal water in the town, Rome decided to create one of the most important spa centres here. Acqui Terme is awash with pretty piazzas, cafés, restaurants and a wide range of individual shops, giving it an upmarket feel.

Nizza Monferrato, northeast of Canelli is a lovely little town and the centre of the wine trade with one of the region’s top wine museums, the Museo Bersano. It offers excellent restaurants and shopping facilities, banks, hospital, cinema etc. The colourful weekly Friday market at the main square, the Piazza Garibaldi, and the antique market - held there on one Sunday a month - are very popular. The motorway can be reached within 25 minutes, and the international airports of Milan, Turin and Genoa within 60 to 90 minutes.

In this southern area for 100.000 eur, you can still purchase a small traditional country property. A 200.000 eur budget will give you a detached farmhouse in need of minor work. If you are looking for something a little more cosmopolitan and with easy proximity to skiing, then you should take a look further north in Lake Maggiore.

Lake Maggiore is the second largest lake In Italy which winds majestically between Lombardy and Piemonte. There are a number of lovely resorts along the lake, such as Stresa, Verbania, Ghiffa and Baveno, which have breathtaking views and are surrounded by lush gardens and tree lined roads. There are a wealth of activities on offer on the lake from golf to tennis, boating and fishing. In the winter, the area offers excellent access to nearby ski slopes (Monte Mottarone). A purchase on Lake Maggiore will certainly be a good investment in terms of stability, growth and rental potential. Prices start from 80.000 eur, you can purchase a one bed apartment, 170.000 eur for a 2 bed apartment and from 250.000 eur for a house.

The Pick of the Crop

Cortiglione NIZ056 http://www.homesinitaly.co.uk/smx/search/property/1894/ A lovely detached farmhouse with land only 7 km from Nizza Monferatto.

AT 875http://www.homesinitaly.co.uk/smx/search/property/2035/ Detached house located in the hills of Acqui Terme, about half an hour from the town

AT 698http://www.homesinitaly.co.uk/smx/search/property/1836/ Beautiful stone farmhouse located in the pretty hills of Acqui Terme

Stresa 2191http://www.homesinitaly.co.uk/smx/search/property/2105/ Quaint 1 bed cottage located in Stresa for only 90.000 eur!

Stresa 2168 http://www.homesinitaly.co.uk/smx/search/property/1953/ Beautiful villa with swimming pool overlooking Lake Maggiore

How to reach the area

Turin has an international airport (Caselle International Airport “Sandro Pertini”) only 10 miles away from the city centre, linked on a daily basis to the most important Italian and European airports. The airport connects 25 destinations, 17 of them international.

For access to southern Piemonte, you can either use the Turin or the Genoa Airport, in neighboring Liguria, easily accessible also by car. Turin is only 2 h far from Genoa and there are some highways connecting the main cities of the two regions.

For the Northern Lakes of Piemonte, it is possible to use the airports of Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo.

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