Piemonte: facets of a land to be discovered

Art, design, archaeology, industry, castles, vineyards, lakes, 2 or 4-wheel drive itineraries: in Italy there is a region, Piemonte, offering a landscape and a cultural heritage of extraordinary beauty.

 
Piemonte Land of Art and Piemonte Land of Motors: these are the new publishing projects and the related eBook versions that Piemonte presented at the 34th edition of the International Tourism Fair  WTM – World Travel Market (London, November  4-7). 

Every guidebook, available in Italian, English, French, German, Japanese and Russian, is composed of an introductory booklet covering the places to see and the itineraries to follow, and a map displaying the places. The proposals gathered in this product meet the needs of British tourists, who are mainly interested in mountain and lake tourism, but it has the potential to enlarge the range of interests with new products, by highlighting the importance of cultural tourism within the tourist offer of Piemonte.

Piemonte Land of Art offers a view on a less renowned side of the regional cultural heritage, which is famous above all for its Baroque Age, by revealing an image of modernity. In fact, the places listed in this publication show territories, art works, and authors which made the modern and contemporary history of the region. All sites were selected taking into account their tourist appeal and usability; they were created starting from the “content”, like the art collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art in the Rivoli Castle, or from the “container”, as it happened for the Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR), or starting from both concepts, as in the case of the Pinacoteca Agnelli, located in Lingotto. In close cooperation with Local Tourism Agencies, other places were also presented: museums, foundations, art galleries, open air installations, architectural facilities, buildings and industrial areas that underwent a urban reconversion.

Piemonte Land of Motors is a tool provided with full information about itineraries that allow the discovery of amazing possibilities: magnificent landscapes stretching as far as the eye can see, majestic peaks of the Alps, gentle hilly expanses, charming lakes. The variety of the landscape is studded with historical villages and towns and cultural places where visitors, attracted by countless leisure opportunities, can stop and taste the local cuisine and the wines which made the region famous around the world. It’s an ideal guide for those wishing to discover Piemonte from an unusual point of view, beyond traditional tourist routes, in order to search for its extraordinary genuineness. All itineraries can be covered over the course of one day and they wind on different types of roads, in order to adequately meet visitors’ different needs. It’s a small sample of a wider range of opportunities that tourists might explore, taking a deviation after another.

PIEMONTE LAND OF ART

The itinerary, starting in Torino, shows the other side of the Baroque capital: its role of ,odern and contemporary art icon, through places such as: Gam – Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Merz and Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundations, Museum of Contemporary Art in the Rivoli Castle, Agnelli Picture Art Gallery, Teatro Regio, Torre Littoria e and the Church of Santo Volto, the archibishop’s palace. Emphasis is also dedicated to urban reconversion projects such as: Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR), National Automobile Museum, Lingotto, Oval, Palavela, Juventus Stadium, Olympic Stadium and Eataly. En plain air installations do not lack, including Luci d’Artista and the gardens of the Reggia di Venaria, Merz’s Igloo Fountain and many other installations and sculptures created in Torino and in the surrounding area in the last thirty years. There is also a reference to events such as Artissima and Paratissima, and, among its peculiarities, the Torino-Ceres railway, one of the most ancient Italian alpine railways, with its stations looking like Swiss chalets, reinterpreted in the liberty style.

In the remaining part of the Province of Torino, the guide leads visitors to Susa Valley, among sacred and profane masterpieces, with the Mollino Chalet in Sauze d’Oulx and the statue of the Archangel at the Sacra di San Michele; in the Canavese area there are open air museums and the Art Centre of the Castello di Rivara.

In the Province of Cuneo the main attractions are: the Caraglio Spinning Mill, the most ancient “silk factory” in Europe, the IGAV Exhibition in the Castiglia di Saluzzo, together with the art festival which takes place every year in the Ancient Stables of the former barracks, the Spazio Gallizio in Alba, the itineraries following the footprints of the eclectic architect Giovanni Battista Schellino, who gave Dogliani a very unusual urban plan compared to the XIX century standards.

In the Province of Alessandria attention is paid to the Borsalino’s Hat Museum within Palazzo Borsalino, where Borsalino hats, symbol of the “made in Italy” style all over the world, are kept. On top of that, there is the Gipsoteca Bistolfi - Plaster Art Gallery - in Casale Monferrato.

In the Province of Asti the tour leads to the elegant Civic Picture Gallery within Palazzo Mazzetti, with its special section dedicated to Contemporary Art, and to the former brewing company from the XIX century “Fratelli Metzger”, which has been transformed into an exhibition space by the Associazione Fondo Giov-Anna Piras. The itinerary also includes the Quirin Mayer Sculpture Park in Bubbio, with its imposing sculptures standing out against the background of the wonderful landscapes of the Langa Astigiana.

In the Province of Vercelli the main focus is the Arca, the second exhibition centre for modern and contemporary art in Piemonte, after Torino; it is well-known for the Guggenheim exhibitions it hosts and for its very modern structure, made of glass and steel, located inside the central nave of the Church of San Marco.

In the Province of Novara the tour covers: the Giannoni Gallery of Modern Art, the former Istituto Sperimentale Metalli Leggeri, designed by Renzo Piano’s team, the Museum of Galliate and a unique reality in its kind, the Materima of Casalbeltrame, a real international citadel where artists can find everything they need to create their works of art.

In the Lake district, the main attractions are: the Museo del Paesaggio (Landscape Museum) in Verbania, with its sections dedicated to painting, sculpture, archaeology and popular religiousness; the Museum of Arts and Industry Forum Trustis in Omegna, which was established to preserve the industrial memory of Cusio region.

Last but not least, in the area of Biella, there are: the Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto and Palazzo Boglietti, interpreting the spirit of modern and futuristic trends; the itineraries along “The Wool Rood” and the Fabbrica della Ruota (Wheel Factory) in Pray, former wool factory which is listed among the most famous examples of industrial archaeology in Italy.

It’s a tool provided with detailed information about itineraries, useful addresses and a road map. This publication provides tourists with fascinating tips for the visit; it allows them to easily orient themselves among different regional assets, which are sometimes hidden but worth a stop over the route.

Land of Motorsguides visitors into the discovery of the enormous regional motor heritage, by showing a selection of the main collections, museums, itineraries and related theme events which make the region a true paradise for mechanical engineering fans.

In Piemonte, the traditional creativity of the region and the most advanced technologies combine, giving rise to an unprecedented motor heritage. This region is one of the main world centres for motor production: here, some of the biggest Italian car manufacturers, well-known at international level, were established, such as FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino), founded in 1899 in Torino; this region is home to renowned research centres competing for excellence in the automotive industry, such as Centro Ricerche FIAT (FIAT Research Centre), which is one of the most illustrious examples.

Piemonte is also home to car stylists and designers, well-known all over the world, from Gruppo Bertone to ltaldesign-Giugiaro and Pininfarina. Among the most famous pilots there are Achille Varzi and Vincenzo Lancia, who founded the historical car manufacturing industry Lancia.

Press Office – Piemonte Agency

Francesca Corsini ph. +39 011 670066.5/2  francesca.corsini@centroestero.org - www.centroestero.org

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For press information please contact:
Stefania Gatta
Tel: 020 7399 3555
Email: stefania.gatta@enit.it