In Italian, “Piemonte” means at the foot of the mountain.

It is a region in northern Italy surrounded by the Alps to the north.

Piedmont has garnered recognition and importance within the global Slow Food Movement.

Astounding wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, and the white bubbly Asti are all from this region.

The other celebrated precious commodity of Piedmont are truffles.  

A most memorable signature meal is a simple pasta dish with nothing but olive oil and grated truffles.

The closest airport is Turin, the capital of Piedmont.  

It is easily drivable from Switzerland and France.  From Geneva, one can also drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel,

a long tunnel that crosses the Alps from France to Italy.  The toll is pretty steep (~55 euros in summer 2015) and

be warned that when there is an accident, traffic could get backed up for hours.