Province BI
Biella, BI
A wool and textile town of about 43,000 at the foot of the Alps, roughly 80 kilometres northeast of Turin, with guild records for weavers going back to the 13th century. It splits into a lower modern town and Piazzo, the medieval quarter on the ridge above.
Sights
- Biella Piazzo, the walled upper town of porticoed streets and Renaissance palaces
- The Battistero, a Romanesque baptistery of the 10th to 11th century with 13th-century frescoes
- Duomo di Santo Stefano, beside the baptistery
- Chiesa di San Sebastiano, a Renaissance church begun in 1504
- Santuario di Oropa, the large mountain sanctuary above the town, inscribed by UNESCO in 2003 as one of the Sacri Monti
Things to do
- Go up to Oropa and walk the sanctuary courtyards and the paths above it
- Explore Piazzo on foot for the palace courtyards and the views over the plain
- Look into the area's textile heritage, the Biellese is still a working wool district
Annual events
August to September
Bolle di Malto
Craft beer festival across the town centre, with Italian breweries, food and music.
When to visit
May to September. Oropa is best in summer, and early September brings the beer festival.
