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Population and Economy of Piemonte

The morphological nature of this region heavily conditions the size and distribution of the population. Plains intensively exploited by cultivation, livestock and industry contrast with thinly populated mountain areas where silvo-pastoral activities, the sole resource, yield modest incomes. Consequently there is constant migration from the poorest mountain areas to the productive regions of the plain, especially towards the centres of high industrial concentration.

In recent years a certain slowing of this migratory movement has been noted, due to the introduction of a number of pilot schemes in the field of animal husbandry and to the expansion of Agritourism. The most densely populated areas, apart from the main cities, are those at the foot of the mountains with high concentrations in the Turin and Canavese areas, the lower Val di Susa, the Biella area, in the heart of the Novara area and round Alessandria.

Despite remarkable expansion in the industrial and service sectors, agriculture remains one of the fundamental resources: the principal crops are wheat, corn, rice (round Novara and Vercelli), vegetables and fruit, and fodder for the flourishing cattle and pig breeding sector. In the hills the typical crop is grapes, from which famous wines (Barbera, Barbaresco, Barolo, Dolcetto, Grignolino, Gattinara, Sizzano, Ghemme, etc.) are made.

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