Piedmont Honey

Piedmont – ‘Il miele del Piemonte’

Made up of eight provinces: Alessandria (AL), Asti (AT), Biella (BI), Cuneo (CN), Novara (NO), Turin (TO), Verbano (VB), Vercelli (VC)

A region of high mountains, glaciers, endless forests, rolling hills, beautiful vineyards and fine wines. A generous land rich in history and culture. The landscape blends with the people and offers a high quality environment for both agriculture and a precious natural landscape of parks and reserves and protected areas

Located in the northwest corner of Italy, bordered by Switzerland to the north and France on the west, it is influenced by both nations. Almost 40 percent of Piedmont is covered in mountains. It is characterized by its history and has many mansions and churches dotting its incredible landscape. A prime outdoor attraction is the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, a trail of more than 160 miles through the Alps from Lake Maggiore to Liguria.

Three High Mountain honeys from the Alpines are fir honeydew, rhododendron and wildflower. Wildflower mountain honey, a multifloral honey collected from the flowering meadows and mountain pastures, at high altitude, can contain more than 30-35 of botanical species. The three High Mountain Honeys are recognized by the Arc of Taste .

Piedmont is wealthy region both industrially and agriculturally. Turin, the capital, is headquarters for Fiat and Olivetti Corporations. Turin’s is known for its extraordinary museums from the Egypt museum, second only Cairo’s, to the Gallery of Modern Art and The Automobile Museum, for a fascinating look at the collection.

The style of life is still rural and farm holidays are a very popular in the NW of Italy on small family farms or large farms in the Po Valley. Some of the best Italian wines and cheeses are produced here (over 50 DOC wines and PDO cheeses) and of course incredible honey. Local farms for honey in Piedmont

Piedmont is the home of many single flower honeys. Many can be harvested every year, others are dependent upon natural conditions and may not be available every year or may be produced in limited quantities. For the honey traveler, Piedmont offers a unique destination, “The Honey Road” (Le Strade del Miele [English]), a cultural corridor about 24 miles (38 km) long, running from Bra to Cisterna d’Asti, passing through 11 towns and hamlets located mostly along the ridge of the Rocche (la dorsale delle Rocche) of Roero. The dedication to honey continues with the annual “Typical Piedmont Honey Competition” (Mieli tipici Piemontesi – 2009 Winners) and the Amél’Amèl Festival of Honey (Amél’Amèl festival dei mieli).

Honey Cities:
Briona (Novara)
Casteldelfino (Cuneo)
Ghemme (Novara)
Marentino (Torino)
Montà (Cuneo)
Monteu Roero – (Cuneo)
Montezemolo (Cuneo) | Montezemolo Honey Info [Italian]
Niella Tanaro (Cuneo)
Valley High Tanaro Cebano Monregalese (Cuneo)
Valle Ossola (Domodossola)
Upper Valley Park and Pesio Tanaro

Types of Honey:

• Acacia – ‘Miele di acacia’ (Robinia pseudoacacia L.)
• Bramble (aka Honey Bush) – ‘Miele di rovo’ (Rubus spp.)
• Citrus – Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit – ‘Miele di agrumi’ (Citrus spp.)
• Cherry Honey – ‘Miele di ciliegio’ (Prunus spp.)
• Common Heather – ‘Miele di calluna’ (Calluna vulgaris Hull.)
• Chestnut – ‘Miele di castagno’ (Castanea sativa Mill.)
• Dandelion – ‘Miele tarassaco (Dente di Leone)’ (Taraxacum officinale Web)
• Fir Honeydew (Spruce & Fir) – ‘Melata d’abete’ (Fir: Abies alba and Red Spruce: Picea excelsa) (Insects: Cinara costate, C. piceae, Physokermes hemicryphus)
• Forest Honeydew – ‘Melata di bosco, Melata di metcalfa’ (Insect: Metcalfa pruinosa (Say))
• Gold Bullion (aka Solidago) – ‘Miele di verga d’oro’ (Solidago spp., From perennial herbs of the family Compositae, and mostly from S. virgurea)
• Lavender – ‘Miele di lavanda’ (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Lime Tree (aka Linden or Basswood) – ‘Miele di tiglio’ (Tilia spp.)
• Rhododendron – ‘Miele di rododendro’ (Rhododendron spp.)
• Sicyos (aka Bur Cucumber, Sycios) – ‘Miele di Sicyos’ (Sicyos angulatus L.)
• Wildflower Honey of Piemonte – ‘Miele Milliefiori del Piemonte’ (Produced in Piedmont mainly from spring-flowering trees, wild and cultivated plants in the Piedmont region.)
• Wildflower Mountain Honey – ‘Miele Millefiori di montagna’ (Tasting Notes: Color from light to dark amber, floral scent sometimes stronger, fruity, floral aroma with tones. (Characterized by legumes; Rosaceae – wild strawberry, dog rose, wild cherry, plums; Ericaceae – bilberry, cranberry, St. Johnswort; Fagaceae – beech tree family; Boraginaceae – borage; Umbelliferae and Polygonaceae – mountain sorrel; in varying percentages and not always simultaneously present)

Notable Honey Producing Areas:

• Pregeleto Honey – ‘Miele di Pragelato’ Mountain wildflower with a strong rhododendron aspect. Visiting Pregeleto
• Valli di Lanzo Honey – ‘Mieli delle Valli di Lanzo’ Primarily known for chestnut, then wildflower, lime, acacia and rhododendron. Visiting Valli di Lanzo
• Grain Valley Honey – ‘Miele della Val Grana (CN)’ Know for dandelion, black locust, chestnut and wildflowers. Visiting Val Grana
• Ossola Valley Honey – ‘Miele Ossolano’ Known for lime, chestnut, acacia and rhododendron honey. Visiting Ossola Valley

PAT – Honey certified as a Traditional Italian Food.
Honey identified and cataloged by the Arc of Taste (Slow Foods)
————————————————————
Resources and Further Reading

Italian – Official Piedmont Website