Piedmont is a region of northern Italy. Turin, the regional capital of Piedmont, preserves important historical-artistic and cultural evidences. With regard to the physical environmental conditions, Piedmont borders to the west with France, Valle d'Aosta and Switzerland; to the north with Lombardy and for a short stretch with Emilia Romagna to the east; and to the south with Liguria. Piedmont includes eight provinces: Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Turin, Vercelli and Verbania. The region of Piedmont, second only to Sicily by surface, covers about 25,399 square kilometers and has 4,392,526 inhabitants (2017). The physical boundaries of Piedmont well defined: to the southeast by a short stretch of the Apennines; to the southwest, to the west, and to the north by the mountains of the Alps; to the east by Lake Maggiore, and the Ticino and Sesia rivers. A considerable portion of the regional territory (43%) is made of mountains; about 30% is made of hills and the remaining 27% is made of plains. The western arch of the Alps (Maritime Alps, Cozie, Graie, Pennine, and a short stretch of the Lepontine) is in Piedmont. Inside the territory of Piedmont is also found the majestic Monte Rosa (4.634 m / 15,203 ft), which is the second highest mountain in Europe. Moreover, are also parts of the Piedmont territory many mountains that reach 4,000 m, like the Gran Paradiso (4.061 m / 13,323 ft) and the Monviso (3.841 m / 12,602 ft). From the latter, the longest river of Italy - the river Po - originates. The region is rich in basic tourist resources, with some well-equipped ski resorts such as those of the Maritime Alps, the upper Susa Valley and Valsesia. Piedmont is famous for its full-bodied red wines, Barolo and Barbaresco in particular, but also Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Arneis, Freisa, Moscato d'Asti, Erbaluce di Caluso. These wines have increasingly gained the appreciation of wine lovers worldwide. Also worth mentioning is the Gavi, one of the best Italian white wines. The vineyards of Piedmont are mostly found in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria, but wine production flourishes throughout the region.