Northwest Italy

Understand

North-western Italy, also known more simply as North-West, is that part of the Italian territory that includes the regions of Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta.

Geographical notes It borders to the west with France through the western Alps, to the north with Switzerland through the central Alps, to the east with the regions of Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna belonging to north-eastern Italy and to the south with the Ligurian Sea and the extreme offshoot of Tuscany in central Italy. North-western Italy encompasses a large part of the Po Valley and is crossed by the River Po, the longest in Italy.

Background In historical terms of the last few centuries the North-West is mainly identified in the domains of the House of Savoy and therefore the continental part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which included, in addition to Piedmont, the Aosta Valley and Liguria. Lombardy, although culturally linked also to Piedmont and Liguria, has historically developed greater political and economic ties with the Veneto (Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia) and therefore with north-eastern Italy.

See

The Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy – a UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of nine groups of holy mountains featuring chapels and other Christian religious sites.

Eat

There are many places where you can taste many specialties of Northern Italy such as Courmayeur (where you can taste fontina; a typical Aosta Valley dish; which can also be tasted in other tourist cities such as Aosta and Cogne), Livigno (where you can taste pizzoccheri; typical Valtellinese dish; which can also be tasted in other tourist cities such as Bormio and Chiavenna; but also the polenta taragna), Alba (where you can taste the black and white truffle; but also in other tourist cities such as Barolo and Barbaresco; famous for fine wines), Milan (where you can taste the Milanese risotto; obviously with its many variations and ossobuco; even in luxury restaurants). You can also enjoy good fish meals in restaurants in cities such as Sanremo, Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo and Portofino. In all regions there are typical products, for example Lombardy is famous for Bitto, Taleggio DOP, Bresaola della Valtellina, Salame di Varzi, famous in the Oltrepò Pavese, apples from Valtellina and onions from Breme. Of course there are many other less known products but always in the IGP, DOP, IGT classifications.

Drink & nightlife

Aosta Valley: Wine production in the Aosta Valley is small, but highly qualified. The vines vary according to the areas in which they are grown. The products made in this region are considered mountain wines and are collected under the regional denomination DOC Valle d’Aosta - Vallée d’Aoste DOC, which includes 15 types of grape and 7 area sub-denominations: Arnad-Montjovet Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle Chambave Donnas Enfer d'Arvier Nus Turrets Among the most sought-after white wines, we find Blancs de La Salle et Morgex produced from Prié Blanc grapes, a vine grown at high altitudes, up to 1200 m. Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, dry Moscati are also grown on the regional territory. Among the red wines from Valle d'Aosta, worthy of note are the wines of Enfer d'Arvier and the sub-area of ​​Torrette, made with the Petit Rouge grape. Also interesting are the wines based on Cornalin, a native vine vinified alone or blended with Petit Rouge. The Donnas DOC is instead a wine produced with 85% Nebbiolo grapes. For sure, one of the most typical liqueurs of the Aosta Valley is genepì. It is a liqueur of very ancient origin, produced through the prolonged infusion of the floral stems of the black genepì. Also worth tasting is the Ratafià, made with wild cherries, brandy and lemon zest. The Aosta Valley also boasts a tradition in the production of grappa and distillates of alpine herbs. Another local production is the famous Aosta Valley coffee. It is a preparation made with the "cup of friendship", a wooden container with a lid and various spouts, which is filled with hot coffee, to which lemon peel and grappa are added. A particular and tasty coffee, suitable to close the meals of the typical Aosta Valley cuisine.