Eight regions – from Valle d’Aosta in the northwest to Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the northeast – make up the northern area of Italy, an area known to the locals as Alta Italia. These regions are split into 46 provinces, from where an impressive total of 241 golf facilities (two thirds of all the courses in the country) are affiliated to Federazione Italiana Golf, the national governing body.

This northern stronghold of the Italian golfing scene is where many of the top layouts are found and it’s dominated by old tracks from the 1920s – such as the Peter Gannon-designed Milano and Villa d’Este courses – and the 1950s, with the likes of the John Morrison courses at Torino La Mandria (Blue) and Biella-le Betulle.

A number of modern courses have also attained national prominence, including Robert von Hagge’s Conte and Bonora layouts at the 36-hole Bogogno complex whilst the two Robert Trent Jones Snr courses at Royal Park I Roveri in Turin and Castelconturbia, near Milan, are comfortably ranked within the Top 100 list of golf courses in Continental Europe.