A trip to Biella means discovering a land with a wealth of history and character. The solitary, ascetic appeal of its thrilling and unforgettable churches still holds the ability to surprise the visitor.
There are many reasons for choosing to visit Biella: here are just some of them.
TEXTILES. The Biella region is best known for its renowned and long-established high quality textile and yarn industry. The area has become internationally famous thanks to names such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Cerruti 1881, Fila, Loro Piana, Piacenza Cashmere to name but a few. This makes Biella an ideal place for top quality shopping. One great attraction of the area is undoubtedly the 50 or more outlet shops built alongside the factories or located along the SS 230, the main road leading to Biella from the south, where goods can be purchased at factory prices.
CONFERENCES. Biella has become a benchmark for conferences. "Città Studi" is a futuristic conference centre designed by the architect Gae Aulenti, and has an auditorium capable of seating 440 people in comfort plus seminar and exhibition rooms. The unusual but attractive Santuario di Oropa, a UNESCO heritage site, offers convention and conference facilities capable of accommodating up to 230 people and an old library which is ideal for meetings. These are complemented by the Biella Accoglie Convention Bureau, where you will find everything you need when it comes to comprehensive pre- and post-conference and meeting facilities.
HISTORY. The medieval centre of Piazzo adjacent to the town of Biella is home to a nineteenth-century cable-car. Ricetto di Candelo, meanwhile, is a fine example of late medieval architecture and one of the best-preserved walled villages in Europe, and lies a few kilometres from Biella. Or why not pay a visit to Biella’s alpine sanctuaries: Oropa, the most famous, also houses the Royal Savoy Apartments.
COUNTRYSIDE. The Parco Burcina ‘Felice Piacenza’ special nature reserve covers an entire hillside on the outskirts of the town and is a fine example of an English-style park. It is at its most magnificent in mid-May when the rhododendrons are in bloom. The Oasi Zegna, a mountainous area spread over 100 km2, is ideal for skiing, even by night. It stretches along a scenic road of the same name and is part of a scheme designed to encourage visitors to discover breathtaking natural vistas along routes of varying length and difficulty. The route ends amidst the restful scenery of the Serra, the longest morainic hill in Europe. This magnificent sight, 10,00 metres in altitude, bisects the alpine panorama across the province and affords a superb vantage point across the plain.
GLI SPORT. There are no fewer than four golf courses to choose from. Two are nine-hole, one is three-hole while Biella’s 18-hole “Le Betulle” Golf Club located on the Serra Moraine is currently ranked the second finest in Italy and the eighth best in Europe. Fans of equestrian tourism can take the 200 km or so Biella horse-riding trail that winds through beautiful unspoilt landscapes of considerable appeal. Long distance walkers are equally well catered for with the many mountain walks on offer. There is also a medium and low altitude circular walk known as the GTB or Gran Traversata del Biellese that will take you through the entire province in approximately 200 km. Or wny not try the 250 km mountain bike trail, not to mention trekking, climbing, hang gliding, water-skiing and bungee jumping!
FOOD AND DRINK. Every valley in the area produces its own cheese. Amongst the most prized are “Toma” (protected by a D.O.P. designation), “Maccagno”, “Tumin” a fresh cheese that is known by different names depending on whether it is combined with garlic and chilli or flavoured with oil, vinegar and spices or left intact to marinate in oil with lashings of paprika. Bolliti (stewed meat), fresh cheeses and polenta go well with apple or grape “mostarda", a kind of sweet chutney prepared by boiling down the fruit for at least 12 hours. The local polenta, known as “pulenta cunscia”, contains large quantities of melted local cheese and tasty farmhouse butter. The same ingredients are used to add flavour to rice (large quantities of top-quality rice are grown locally) to make the dish known as “ris an cagnun”. We cannot fail to mention the pièce de resistance of Piedmontese cuisine, the dish “bagna cauda”, which is given its own special local flavour by adding walnut oil (produced in the Mortigliengo workshop museum). And you cannot leave without trying “paste di meliga” (corn pastries), “torcetti” or home-made “canestrej”, chocolate wafers cooked between the two halves of a red-hot iron (mentioned in a manuscript dating back to 1805 in the Royal Library in Turin). There are a host of renowned D.O.C. wines that can be savoured with local Biella dishes, including Bramaterra, Lessona, Coste del Sesia, Erbaluce di Caluso and Canavese. These can be purchased from the vineyards that line the Wine Trails or discovered by visiting the wine cellars in the ancient Castello di Roppolo, the beautiful building that houses the Enoteca Regionale della Serra, where you will be able to choose from 300 types of wine and 30,000 bottles. Special mention must also be made of the “Menabrea” beer that has won the accolade of best lager in the world several times, and “Ratafià” liqueur, made by steeping wild cherries in alcohol using a 500-year old recipe.
Welcome to Biella, where pleasant surprises await you around every corner!
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