Piedmont - Beppino Occelli

Traditional Piedmont products are well-known all over the world. The hilly territory covers almost 30% of the region where there are some of the most important wine-growing regions in the world, such as Barolo and Barbaresco are found. Being the region of great cheese-producers, traditional Piedmontese dishes are often garnished with typical local cheeses . Two of the main cheeses are Bra and Castelmagno, both produced in the area of Cuneo. The prestigious white truffle is produced and exported by the towns of Cuneo, Asti and parts of Turin. The white truffle can truly enhance any kind of dish of the Piedmont tradition as well as other dishes. The region is the second biggest in Italy after Sicily. The word Piedmont literally means 'at the foot of the mountains' (pedemontium in latin) and it is surrounded on three sides by mountain chains, both the Alps and the Apennines.