Biella – Ski hotel amid culture, history and nature
Accommodation in Province of Biella
Biella combines an industrial past, sacred architecture, museums and expansive landscapes. Cittadellarte is located in the former Lanificio Trombetta, a disused factory in Biella’s historic textile center. Today, works by Michelangelo Pistoletto are displayed there. Every weekend, Cittadellarte offers guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays at three different times. For groups and school classes, guided tours can also be arranged from Tuesday to Friday by reservation. The site is located about two kilometers from Biella San Paolo railway station and is connected to Biella and the surrounding towns by frequent urban and regional bus services.
File:Sede della provincia di Biella - ex-ospizio di caritĂ .png
Photo: F Ceragioli via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Culture
The Museo del Territorio Biellese in Biella takes visitors through a period ranging from prehistory to the 20th century. Its exhibition is divided into an archaeological section and a historical-artistic section. This places different approaches to the history of the area side by side, without limiting the chronological scope to a single era.
The Santuario di Oropa also comprises several closely interconnected areas. The monumental complex includes the cloister with the Old Basilica as well as the New Basilica. Guided tours of the sanctuary, the Museo dei Tesori, the Sacro Monte, the monumental cemetery and the Botanical Garden can be arranged. Oropa is also one of nine separate Sacri Monti complexes in the mountains of northern Italy.
Beyond the individual museum, the Rete Museale Biellese brings together ecomuseums, museums, castles, palaces, natural areas and other places of interest throughout the Biellese area. It has so far included 47 different museum institutions in 32 municipalities. The geographical distribution and the different types of institutions are therefore just as much a part of this museum network as its historical and scenic diversity.
History
The Piazzo is the higher-lying district of Biella. Its history dates back to 1160, when the fortification of the hill began. The cityscape also includes several religious buildings from different periods. The Battistero of Biella is a building in the Lombard Romanesque style. It was built in the second half of the 10th century on the remains of a Roman burial site. The foundation stone of the Chiesa di San Sebastiano was laid in 1500. The Chiesa di San Giacomo is a Gothic church built at the beginning of the 13th century and remodeled several times.
One of the prominent historic complexes is the Ricetto di Candelo. Its approximately 13,000 m² pseudo-polygonal layout is surrounded by defensive walls.
The Funicolare del Piazzo is closed. A feasibility study is to be prepared for its reopening.
Nature
Parco Burcina includes a rhododendron valley, wooded areas, meadows and a pond. From there, views extend across the mountains and the plain. In the Bessa, a dense network of easy paths runs through the area; some of these paths can also be used by mountain bike or on horseback.
The Oropa basin is a starting point for peaks around the sanctuary that reach heights of about 2,000 meters. The Cervo, Elvo and Oropa valleys offer hiking trails to the highest peaks of the Biellese. These trails open up views of the plain and the surrounding mountains. The Grande Traversata del Biellese is presented as a trekking route.
Oasi Zegna offers visitors an opportunity to engage with nature through an innovative signage system. Alongside the paths through the valleys, the Bessa and Parco Burcina, this also provides nature-related activities with specially developed orientation in the landscape.
Cuisine
Regionally designated products include Canestrelli di Biella. These are crispy rectangular wafers with a single layer of chocolate.
Further local pages take you to Biella, Camandona, Campiglia Cervo, Bioglio, Romagnano, Graglia, Muzzano, Sordevolo, Pollone, Netro, Solesio and Caprile.
For the higher-level travel overview: Piedmont.
