The name of the region derives from the Medieval Latin term Pedemontium, which means "at the foot of the mountains." Piedmonte is aptly named as it lies at the foot of the Alps and has a culture and dialect that is closer to parts of France than other parts of Italy. It is bordered by France and Switzerland as well as the Italian regions of Liguria, Valle dAosta and Lombardy. The area occupies the plain of the Po River valley and produces much of the wheat and rice for the country in the area of Novara and Vercelli. This region was once the home of the Ligurian peoples and later the Gauls before being absorbed by the expanding Roman republic. After the fall of the Empire, the area was divided up by warring feudal lords before the slow consolidation of the region by the House of Savoy starting in the 11th century. This region faced the wrath of Frederick Barbarossa as a member of the Lombard League in their face off against the Holy Roman Emperor. By the 16th century the Savoy family had barely managed to escape extinction by wars and intrigue, only to emerge as the rulers of Piedmonte. Their holdings were to include Sicily and later Sardinia on their way toward the Risorgimento and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. In many ways, the history of the Piedmonte is the history of modern nation of Italy.
