Biella Provincia di Biella
The splendour of the blossoming peonies at the beginning of May marks the passing of time in the Oropa botanical Garden. Fir trees, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas colour the preserve, the Oasi Zegna, which gives open-air activity lovers the chance to take long mountain-bike rides and mushroom-hunting hikes from mid-August to late September. The fascination of the Biella area unfolds along its naturalistic itineraries among parks, valleys, chestnut groves, and historical and artistic pathways. One of the routes to take is the la strada della Lana, the route of wool that runs from Biella to Borgosesia. Its fifty kilometres tell the story of the birth of the textile industry in an area that was once rich with wool makers, whose industrious hands wove the threads of the history of Biella province. Members of the Sella family, a rich family of wool producers, were pioneers in the sector and the main protagonists in the textile boom in the early 1800s. They were the first to build factories for industrial wool processing in the mid-nineteenth century. Many of these early wool mills have been lost, but many have been transformed, thanks to the renewed interest of local communities for the “places” of industrial archaeology. An example is the former Trombetta wool mill, and old factory that is now the seat of the Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto, a centre dedicated to contemporary art where conferences, exhibitions, performances, and concerts are held. This is an emblem of the way that industrialization had not degraded the surrounding area, but has found a way to hold progress together with the needs of the countryside and to preserve the integrity of historical values and beauty.
Information
Atl Biella - Azienda Turistica Locale
[Indietro]
[Indietro]
Places
Villa Scott
The little manor house, one of the most important examples of Torino Liberty architecture, is linked to the name of Dario Argento who set his film, “Profondo Rosso” (“Deep Red”) here – perhaps his most emotional film and the one with the strongest visual effects.
Forte di Vinadio
Requested by Re Carlo Alberto, the Forte (Fort) di Vinadio represents one of the most important examples of military architecture from the Alps. It extends length-wise for 1,200 meters, on three levels, which cover about 10 km of interior passageway.
Forte di Fenestrelle
The largest fortified structure in Europe and the longest wall-structure in the world after the Great Wall of China: a 635-meter inclination, 3 km long, 1,300,000 square meters large, 4,000 steps in the Scala Coperta (Covered Staircase), 2,500 steps in the Scala Reale (Royal Staircase), 5 drawbridges, and 183 lights to illuminate the interior.
[Indietro]
People
Antonello Venditti
“Torino is a fist of good earth raised to the sky…it’s my second home. I found a special lady here who knows how to reward me with affection. This is why I will never forget the concert I gave at Palasport in 1980”.
Giuliano Montaldo
“I shot my first film Tiro al piccione in Piemonte in 1960 on Lago Maggiore. Today, for the filming of I Demoni di San Pietroburgo, I wanted to return to the scene of the crime…it’s an historic film that transfers great literature to the plains of Piemonte among the Palazzi and Sabaude residences of Torino”.
Adrien Brody
“While shooting Dario Argento’s Giallo, I bought a used bicycle at Balon and would go out for a ride along the Po….Gorgeous…Not to mention Piemonte’s cuisine which is smashing….”
[Indietro]