Discover Biella: Piazzo, Art and Paths by the Water

Biella reveals its character in its higher-lying districts, medieval architecture, museums and traces of industrial history. Piazzo is Biella’s higher-lying district and dates back to 1160. When you choose a holiday apartment in Biella, you can include these different aspects in your daily planning.

Piazzo: Medieval Architecture and Family History

Piazzo contains several closely connected examples of architecture and family history. The Chiesa di San Giacomo is the oldest surviving medieval building in Piazzo. The Portici del Piazzo surround Piazza Cisterna with characteristic medieval arcades made up of modules, each with two bays, stone capitals and decorations made of terracotta bands. Palazzo La Marmora is located in the historic Borgo of Piazzo. The house museum has been shaped by 17 generations of the Ferrero della Marmora family; it has been owned by the Ferrero family since the 14th century.

The religious buildings also provide clear architectural accents. The Duomo contains preserved remnants of 15th-century frescoes. The Battistero has an intricate floor plan with four semicircular apses attached to the sides of a central square. The Campanile di Santo Stefano has a square floor plan, nine superimposed levels and is 52.60 metres high.

Industrial History and Art in Biella

Cittadellarte is located in the premises of the former Lanificio Trombetta wool mill, an exemplary testament to industrial archaeology in Biella’s historic textile centre. Works by the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto are exhibited at Cittadellarte. Cittadellarte is about 2 kilometres from Biella San Paolo railway station; the station is regularly served by direct trains from Santhià and Novara. You can take the distance and the direct trains into account when planning your journey.

San Sebastiano and Museo del Territorio

In the Chiesa e Chiostro di San Sebastiano, the interior has a Latin-cross floor plan and a coffered barrel vault. A 16th-century fresco in a chapel in the left aisle depicts the Crucifixion, with the city of Biella shown in the background. The Museo del Territorio is located in the cloister of the Basilica di San Sebastiano. The archaeological section ranges from palaeontology to the Middle Ages, while the historical-artistic section spans from the Renaissance to 20th-century collecting.

Holiday Apartment in Biella: Culture, Garden and Paths

Palazzo Gromo Losa has an Italian rose garden with various rose varieties, a long pergola, boxwood hedges and water basins. The short circular route “Biella e l'acqua” runs east of the historic centre along the Torrente Cervo and passes through an area of industrial archaeology. The garden, river and industrial history therefore provide different points of focus for your daily planning.

Along the Sentiero Gorgomoro Biella-Oropa, a historic mill with a forge and a teledynamic system for generating and transmitting hydraulic energy are among the defining stops. The Sentiero Gorgomoro begins in the Riva district; route D1 initially follows the Torrente Oropa and then leads into a forest. The focus therefore differs depending on your plans: the circular route follows the Cervo and passes through industrial archaeology, while the Sentiero Gorgomoro connects a mill, a watercourse and a forest. You can take these differences into account when choosing the location of your holiday apartment based on the experiences you have planned.

More Destinations for Trip Planning

For more destinations to include in your travel plans: Bielmonte, Lessona, Tollegno, Masserano, Bellaria, Portula, Caprile, Graziano-Ruta.

Back to the main travel overview: Biella.