http://monsoonwok.com/rivoli-art/
Rivoli Art
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1 Swarovski Art. 1201 GLACIER BLUE effect foiled 27mm Rivoli Stones Many Colors $15.99 |
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1 Swarovski Art. 1201 GLACIER BLUE effect foiled 27mm Rivoli Stones MANY COLORS $15.99 |
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1 Swarovski Art. 1201 GLACIER BLUE effect foiled 27mm Rivoli Stones MANY COLORS $15.99 |
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1 Swarovski Art. 1201 GLACIER BLUE effect foiled 27mm Rivoli Stones MANY COLORS $15.99 |
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1 Swarovski Art. 1201 GLACIER BLUE effect foiled 27mm Rivoli Stones MANY COLORS $15.99 |
I Love Touring Italy – Small Town Piedmont
If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Piedmont region in northern Italy. Depending on your interests, this beautiful area might be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food, and wash down with local wine. There are even some parts of Piedmont that have not yet been discovered by tourists. This article presents the "rest of Piedmont", Piedmont outside Turin, capital of region and the largest city. A companion article presents Turin.
Piedmont half a foot of the mountains, and it describes perfectly the area. A large part of the region is surrounded by hills and mountains like the Alps. While the setting is beautiful, do not expect a Mediterranean climate, as in most of Italy. Weather Piedmont is continental, summers are hot and winters are cold, especially in the plains.
Let's begin our tour of the Piedmont Stupinigi west of Turin and go west to the Bardonecchia near the French border. Then we head south and east of Alba and, finally, to the northeast of the city of Casale Monferrato near the border of Lombardy.
Stupinigi, a town of about two hundred inhabitants a few miles southwest of Turin in the Piedmont Center is our first stop. The Palazzina di Caccia (Caccia Hunting Lodge) was built in the early eighteenth century. With its 137 rooms and 17 galleries, is really something to see. It houses the Museum d'Arte e Ammobiliamento (Museum of Art and Decoration). The lodge is surrounded by the natural park di Stupinigi (Stupinigi Nature Reserve), with its collection of plants and rare animals.
The nearby town of Rivoli, which was once the courtyard of the House of Savoy. It is home to the Casa del Siglo XV Conte Verde (Casa del Conte Verde). Rivoli also houses the Museum of Contemporary Art (Museum of Contemporary Art) in a castle that began in the eighteenth century, but only ended in the last century. His collection Standing focuses on Italian art, minimalist art, conceptual art, Land Art and Arte Povera Movement.
The Abbey of San Antonio de Ranverso abbey founded in the twelfth century by the Hospital of San Antonio is said to be the site of phenomenal cures for a multitude of ailments. The buildings, the frescoes on the walls, and the landscape itself to the impression of being in the Middle Ages. Charlemagne is said to have visited the area.
The Sacra di San Michele (Abbey of San Miguel) was built during the late X century Benedictine order for about a thousand years in the Monte Pirchiriano. This site is a cliff three thousand feet and the view is spectacular. The abbey was once the point of control for nearly two hundred European churches, including the famous Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. The Abbey of San Miguel was the subject of many attacks during centuries and abandoned in 1622. It was restored over a hundred years ago. The site also contains three small chapels built during the Ninth to twelfth centuries.
The ski resort of Bardonecchia near the French border is in a sunny Alpine valley surrounded by mountains. During the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games hosted several events during the Olympic Winter Games of Turin 2006 including the giant slalom snowboard. There are about 140 kilometers (90 miles) from snowboarding and skiing trails for all levels. The nearby town of Sestriere was a main place in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games 2006. It hosted competitions of all men skiing and was the site of the Olympic Village. The resort offers night skiing, and during the summer, opening Europe's highest altitude eighteen golf course.
Times change. During the Middle Ages the town of Pinerolo was a major turning point in Italy and thus a key strength of the Dukes of Savoy. Now is a quiet town with about 35,000 inhabitants, a ninth century Cathedral and the Gothic church San Maurizio (St. Moritz). It also has two recent claims to the fame. In the days of Louis XIV Pinerolo held a French prisoner whose face was never seen. They called him The Man in the Iron Mask. More recently Pinerolo was the site of the Curling competition during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Saluzzo, the population of about sixteen thousand, account with a Lombard-Gothic cathedral built in the late fifteenth century and several churches of interest. The city itself is well preserved. It was the site of The Clerk's Office Chauche's Tale in his Canterbury Tales.
The city of Alba was once known as the "City with a hundred towers." A few remain. There a cathedral and several churches worth seeing, in addition to F. Eusebio Municipal Museum of Archaeology and Natural Sciences. But most tourists visit Alba for its wine and white truffle. Both Barolo and Barbaresco wines are produced a few kilometers from the city. And his nickname is "The City of White Truffle." If you want to try one of these large local products to bring your wallet.
The city of Alba was awarded a Gold Medal for Military Valor to honor their citizens and their participation in the movement Italian resistance during the Second World War. Alba supporters released in October 1944 and established the Republic of Alba, which survived for only a few weeks. It was the name of Napoleon in Piedmont Republic of Alba which survived much longer, ie between 1796 and 1801.
Asti has often competed with its neighbor, Alba, located about 18 miles (30 kilometers) northeast. Both were known as the City with a hundred towers. And both cities produce white truffles. And both are major producers of wine. Asti Spumante, now called Asti, was probably the best known Italian sparkling wine. Note that not say that the best Italian sparkling wine. The area produces Asti wines that compete well with many of the wines of Alba. The third Sunday in September Asti celebrates its victory in a battle of the Middle Ages against Alba with the Palio of Asti, a bareback horse race preceded by a medieval pageant. You also want to see the city's remaining towers, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Saint Mary of the Assumption Cathedral) and the Gothic San Secondo Church.
Piedmont finished our tour in the city of Casale Monferrato. Its Cathedral was built Sant'Evasio in 742 and rebuilt in the early XII century. There are other churches and a castle to visit. You should also see the Jewish Synagogue, built in 1595 and considered one of the most beautiful synagogues in Europe.
What about food? The Piedmont region is well known for all sorts of foods, often with a French flair. Do not forget that the French House of Savoy ruled the region for over five hundred years. In 1986, the Piedmont city of Barolo Carlo Petrini founded the Slow Food association to protest against the opening of a MacDonald's in Rome. Within twenty years Slow Food has grown to 80,000 members in 100 countries. Slow Food fight to defend traditional agriculture in order to protect the environment and ensure that local, artisanal products are economically viable and widely available. Every second that possess October 1st international conference and exhibition.
Let's suggest a sample menu, one of the many. Start with Bagna Cauda (Vegetable Dip with anchovies, garlic and olive oil). Then try Carbonada (stewed beef). For dessert indulge yourself with Zabaglione (Zabaglione
About the Author
Levi Reiss has authored alone or with a co-author ten computer and Internet books, but to tell the truth, he would really rather just drink fine French, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He knows what dieting is, and is glad that for the time being he can eat and drink what he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com and his global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com.
