Much to savor in Turin’s rolling Piedmont

TURIN, Italy — The capital of Italy’s Piedmont region, home to the Fiat automotive manufacturer, has a reputation as a somewhat drab industrial city, but it also has Roman ruins, baroque palaces, outstanding museums, wines, cheeses and truffles. Since yesterday, it also is home to the Winter Olympics.

Turin is the fourth-largest city in Italy. The Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar ordered a fort built on the site; it was called Augusta Taurinorum.

The Piedmont region is known for its lovely landscape of gently rolling hills blanketed by vineyards planted in perfect rows and small towns that have been surrounded by imposing stone castles since medieval times. This corner in northwestern Italy, bordering France to its west, has much to recommend a visit.

The Italian Piemonte aptly derives its name from the phrase “ai piedi del monte,” at the foot of the mountain. Indeed, the towering peaks of the Swiss and French Alps are often visible. Though many locals are reluctant to admit it, the outstanding food of the region — and, perhaps, the focus on preparing and enjoying good food and wine — has been influenced positively by the proximity of France.

Adding to the appeal are an enticing history and the fact that Piedmontese food and wine, though perhaps not as well known as the fare in other sections of Italy, certainly should be.

A perfect home base for traveling throughout Piedmont is Alba, about 45 miles from Turin and known as “the town of 100 towers.” That claim, always somewhat hyperbolic, dates to a period of prosperity in the 12th and 13th centuries. Noble families of the time competed to build ever-higher fortified towers to demonstrate their wealth as well as provide protection from attack. Just four of the original structures retain their original height, but the name sticks.

Alba also is interesting for other relics of its history. Among these are portions of the ancient city walls and drainage system, fragments of frescoes and other remnants of Roman rule. The town hall and several imposing churches are reminders of medieval times.

The sense of moving through history also extends outside Alba. Life slows down measurably in the rolling countryside. Scenery becomes etched in memory like a series of paintings.

Roads wind through tiny towns in places so narrow that when two cars meet, one must back up to a wider spot so the other can pass. Stone buildings line cobblestone streets. Church steeples rise above red tile rooftops as if gazing out at the surrounding view. Many a hilltop is capped by a castle, whose massive walls and turrets recall times of past grandeur and power.

Each town has its own appeals and stories to tell. Visitors often are attracted to Serralunga d’Alba as one of the 11 villages where Barolo, one of Italy’s greatest wines, may be produced. Many connoisseurs rank it and Barbaresco as Italy’s most prestigious red wines.

A good introduction to this noble beverage is available in the villa and historic cellars of Fontanafredda, which has been producing wines since 1878. Several casks bear a small plaque with a coat of arms, indicating that they were used for aging favorite vintages of Italian royalty.

The town of Grinzane Cavour and the castle of the same name also have a strong connection with viniculture. The castle’s sturdy square tower was part of a small fortress built in the 12th century. Among several exhibits there, the Regional Piedmont Wine Cellar is of special interest. It showcases and offers tastings of the area’s best wines plus several grappas.

Also intriguing is the Masks Room, whose soaring ceiling is painted with portraits, crests and — of greater interest to me — fantasy monsters and allegorical creatures that range in countenance from droll to macabre.

One claim to fame of Cherasco is that Napoleon Bonaparte called it “le plus beau coin d’Italie.” Even those who may not agree that the town is the “most beautiful corner” of Italy can appreciate the star-shaped Roman bastion and the abundance of medieval architecture.

Elegant porticoed arcades protect pedestrians from sun and rain. Sumptuous palaces include the Palazzo Salmatoris, where the dukes of Savoy spent many summer holidays. A graceful triumphal arch was donated by a resident in thanks because the people of Cherasco were spared in the plague that devastated the region in 1630.

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