Biella (; pms, Biela; la, Bugella) is a city and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the northern
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
region of
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
, the capital of the
province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
and about west-northwest of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
.
It lies in the foothills of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
, in the
Bo mountain range near
Mt. Mucrone and
Camino, an area rich in springs and lakes fed by the glaciers, the heart of the
Biellese Alps
The Biellese Alps (''Alpi Biellesi'' or ''Prealpi Biellesi'' in Italian) are a sub-range of the Pennine Alps located between Piemonte and Aosta Valley (Italy).
Etymology
''Alpi Biellesi'' literally means ''Alps of Biellese''; ''Biellese'' is th ...
irrigated by several mountain streams: the
Elvo
The Elvo (Piedmontese: ''Elv'') is a torrent (an intermittent stream) in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy and is the principal tributary of the Cervo. It runs through the communes of Sordevolo, Occhieppo Superiore, Occhieppo Inferiore, Ce ...
to the west of the town, the Oropa river and the
Cervo to the east. Nearby natural and notable tourist attractions include the Zegna Viewpoint, the Bielmonte Ski Resort, Burcina Natural Reserve, and the moors to the south of town. The
Sanctuary of Oropa is a site of religious pilgrimages. In 2003, the Sanctuary of Oropa
Sacred Mountain of Oropa became a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
Biella is an important wool processing and textile centre. There is a small airport in the nearby comune of
Cerrione.
History
Origins
The first inhabitants of the area were
Ligurians
The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian: liguri; English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named.
Ancient Liguria corresponded more or less to the current Italian regi ...
and
Celts. This has been ascertained from archaeological finds: they lived near streams and lakes, at first as fishermen and hunters, and later, herders.
A Ligurian people, the
Victimuli, fanned out in the plain of Biella (the ''Bessa'') and exploited gold veins near the Elvo, an activity which continued through the early Middle Ages, and even today panning for gold continues as a local hobby.
Tools and necklaces dating from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
—or, according to some,
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
— attesting to Biella's antiquity, were found in the Burcina Reserve.
Middle Ages
![BiellaDuomo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/BiellaDuomo.jpg)
The city's name appears for the first time as ''Bugella'' in a document of 826AD, recording the donation of Bugella to Count Busone by
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...
, son of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
),
Holy Roman Emperor; a further document of 882AD records some land transactions of
Charles the Fat
Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandso ...
in favour of the church of
Vercelli
Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...
.
In the 10th century the town was inhabited by
Alemanni,
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
and
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
, who built the first walls as a defence against barbarian invasions. Extant remains from this period include the Lombard Romanesque Baptistry and the adjacent church of S. Stefano, around which the town grew: it is today's cathedral, although the original 5th-century building was demolished in 1872.
On April 12, 1160,
Uguccione
Huguccio (Hugh of Pisa, Uguccio) (c. 1140- died 1210) was an Italian canon lawyer.
Biography
Huguccio studied at Bologna, probably under Gandolphus, and taught canon law in the same city, perhaps in the school connected with the monastery of ...
,
bishop of Vercelli, granted important trade privileges to anyone residing on Piazzo hill (elevated section of the city) as an incentive to the establishment of a place of refuge against the warfare between the
Guelphs
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...
and
Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, ri ...
of Vercelli: this was the birth of the Borgo del Piazzo, site of the handsome public square, the Piazza Cisterna, and a Palace fronting it, the doors of which have stone capitals and terracotta ornaments.
Bishop Uguccione's castle was destroyed in a revolt in 1377 that led to the subjection of Biella, along with its dependent ''
comuni
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'', to the yoke of the
House of Savoy.
Modern times
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the
Visconti family competed with Savoy for the possession of the Biella region. The 17th century saw a similar competition between French and Spanish forces, and Biella was actually occupied in 1704; in 1706
Pietro Micca
Pietro Micca (6 March 1677 – 30 August 1706), also known as Pierre Micha, was an Italian soldier who became a national hero of the Duchy of Savoy for his sacrifice in the defence of Turin against the French troops.
Early life
Micca was born ...
, a Biellese soldier, saved nearby
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
from a siege that would have meant the invasion of Biella by the French as well—but paid for it with his own life.
In 1798 Biella was once again occupied by the French, and after the
Battle of Marengo
The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mich ...
, Biella was formally annexed by France. The
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
returned it to Savoy.
In 1859 Biella was besieged by the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
ns but
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pat ...
forced an end to the siege, and the town became part of the
province of Novara
Novara (It. ''Provincia di Novara'') is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Novara.
In 1992, the new Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola was created through the fusion of three geographical areas which had prev ...
, losing its status as regional capital that it had received in the 17th century from
Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I ( it, Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was nicknamed (, in context "the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression.
Bein ...
; it was transferred to the
province of Vercelli
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
in 1927.
In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
Biella was the scene of armed resistance.
![Sacro Monte di Oropa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Sacro_Monte_di_Oropa._Cappelle.JPG)
In 1992, the new
province of Biella
The Province of Biella ( it, Provincia di Biella, Piedmontese: ''Provincia ëd Biela'') is a province of Italy located in Piedmont. It was created in 1992 and its capital is the city of Biella.
It has an area of , and a total population of 17 ...
was formed, separating the territory from the north-western sector of the province of Vercelli.
Wool industry
In 1245 the statutes of Biella were already referring to the wool workers' and weavers' guilds: hardly surprising in view of the region's high mountain pastures and copious water supply needed for washing fleece and powering mills. In the 17th and 18th centuries, as elsewhere in Italy, silk was an important industry, and a silk factory was built in the town in 1695. In 1835, however, the town's textile history came round full circle when the same building was put to use as a wool factory with the introduction of mechanical looms, putting Biella at the forefront of modern improvements in the industry. Around 1999/2000, a progressively worse economic
crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
in the wool sector forced many local wool mills to close since they could not compete with the prices of imported fabrics and clothing.
Culture
Biella is the home of Citta dell'arte (City of the Arts) - Fondazione Pistoletto. In 1994, Italian artist
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Michelangelo Pistoletto (born 23 June 1933) is an Italian painter, action and object artist, and art theorist. Pistoletto is acknowledged as one of the main representatives of the Italian Arte Povera. His work mainly deals with the subject ma ...
began Progetto Arte, whose aim was to unify the artistic, creative and social-economic aspects (e.g. fashion, theatre, design, etc.). In 1996, he founded City of Arts/Citta dell'arte – Fondazione Pistoletto in a formally unused textile factory near Biella, as a centre supporting and researching creative resources, producing innovative ideas and possibilities. The Citta dell'arte is divided into different Uffici/Offices (work, education, communications, art, nutrition, politics, spirituality, and economics).
Government
Main sights
*
Biella Cathedral
*
Biella Baptistery in romanesque style (10th-11th century), annexed to the cathedral, housing 13th-century frescoes
*
Giardino Botanico di Oropa, a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
*
Sacro Monte and
sanctuary of Oropa
*
Biella Synagogue
* Renaissance church of San Sebastiano (1504)
*
Oasi Zegna
Oasi Zegna is a free access natural territory located in the Biellese Alps, Piedmont, Italy, with an area of about 100 square kilometers. Established in 1993, its roots date back to the 1930s by entrepreneur Ermenegildo Zegna, founder of the Zegn ...
, a natural preserve
Main business and brands
*
Cerruti 1881
Cerruti 1881, also known as Cerruti, is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1967 in Paris by the Italian stylist and fashion producer Nino Cerruti. It was named "1881" because Nino's grandfather established the family woolen mill, Fratelli C ...
(wear)
*
Ermenegildo Zegna
Ermenegildo Zegna (; born 30 September 1955), often simply known and referred to as Gildo Zegna, is an Italian entrepreneur and manager. He is Chairman and CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group.
Early life and education
Gildo is a grandson of Ermeneg ...
(wear)
*
Vitale Barberis Canonico (wear)
*
Fila
Fila Holdings Corp. is a sportswear brand of shoes and apparel. The company was founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Piedmont, Italy. In 2003, it was sold to United States-based Sports Brand International. Sub ...
(sportswear)
* Drago Lanificio in Biella (luxury fabrics)
*
Banca Sella
Banca Sella Holding S.p.A. is an Italian holding company for the Banca Sella Group ( it, Gruppo Banca Sella). The main company of the group was Banca Sella S.p.A., an Italian bank based in Biella, Piedmont.
According to research by Mediobanca, ...
(bank)
*
Cassa di Risparmio di Biella e Vercelli
Cassa di Risparmio di Biella e Vercelli S.p.A. known as BiverBanca, is an Italian saving bank based in Biella, Piedmont. It was acquired by fellow Piedmontese bank Cassa di Risparmio di Asti from Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena in 2012. BiverBanca ...
(bank)
*
Menabrea (beer)
Transport
Biella has two railway stations. The main one,
Biella San Paolo railway station, opened in 1856, is the junction of the
Biella–Novara and
Santhià–Biella railways. A second railway station,
Biella Chiavazza, is in the district of
Chiavazza
left, A former factory in Chiavazza.
Chiavazza is a ''frazione'' (parish) of the municipality of Biella, in Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 =
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, a short distance along the line towards
Novara
Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...
. The
Biella funicular connects a lower station on ''Via Curiel'', in the city's ''Biella Piano'' quarter, with an upper station on ''Via Avogadro'' in the city's medieval ''Biella Piazzo'' quarter.
Biella-Cerrione Airport Biella-Cerrione Airport (ICAO: LILE) is an airport in Cerrione, Italy, near Biella, that specialises in general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft o ...
in
Cerrione serves Biella.
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
Biella is
twinned with:
*
Kiryū, Japan
*
Arequipa, Peru
*
Tourcoing
Tourcoing (; nl, Toerkonje ; vls, Terkoeje; pcd, Tourco) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a commune within the department of Nord. Located to the north-northeast of Lille, adjacent to Roubai ...
, France
*
Weihai
Weihai (), formerly called Weihaiwei (), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport in easternmost Shandong province. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east, and is the closest Chinese city to South Korea.
Weihai's popul ...
, China
Notable people
*
Virginia Angiola Borrino (1880–1965), physician who was the first woman to serve as head of a University Pediatric Ward in Italy
*
Claudio Botosso
Claudio Botosso (born 28 March 1958) is an Italian actor. He appeared in more than forty films since 1985.
Selected filmography
References
External links
*
1958 births
Living people
Italian male film actors
{{Italy-film-actor ...
, actor
*
Tavo Burat
Tavo Burat (born Gustavo Buratti Zanchi, 22 May 1932 – 8 December 2009) was an Italian Waldensian writer and journalist. Burat spent much of his life defending the Piedmontese language island. Beginning in 1964, Burat was the secretary of an i ...
(1932–2009), teacher and journalist
*
Nino Cerruti
Nino Cerruti (25 September 1930 – 15 January 2022) was an Italian businessman and stylist.
He founded his own haute couture house, Cerruti, in 1967 in Paris. He managed the Italian family business ''Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti'', which was fou ...
, stylist, designer, and businessman
*
Chiara Corbelletto (born 1956), Italian-New Zealand sculptor
*
Mario Gariazzo
Mario Gariazzo (4 June 1930 – 18 March 2002) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 21 films between 1969 and 1992. He also directed 18 films between 1962 and 1992. He was born in Biella, Italy and died in Rome, Italy at ...
, Italian screenwriter
*
Alberto Gilardino
Alberto Gilardino (; born 5 July 1982) is an Italian professional football manager and a former player who played as a striker.
He is currently in charge as caretaker of Genoa, a club he was contracted with on July 2022 as a youth coach.
A p ...
, Italian FIFA World Cup Winner
*
Pier Giorgio Morandi
Pier Giorgio Morandi (born 1958) is an Italian oboist and conductor, especially of Italian opera of the 19th and early 20th century, who has worked internationally. After having played as principal oboe at La Scala in Milan, he turned to conduc ...
(born 1958), Italian oboist and conductor
*
Ugo Nespolo
Ugo Nespolo (born 29 August 1941 in Mosso, Biella) is an Italian artist, painter, sculptor, film-maker and writer. He lives and works in Turin.
Life and works
Nespolo graduated at the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti of Turin with Enrico Pau ...
, Italian painter and sculptor
*
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Michelangelo Pistoletto (born 23 June 1933) is an Italian painter, action and object artist, and art theorist. Pistoletto is acknowledged as one of the main representatives of the Italian Arte Povera. His work mainly deals with the subject ma ...
, artist
*
Elvina Ramella (1927–2007), operatic soprano
References
External links
*
ATLMuseo del territorio/EcomuseiUnofficial portalOfficial web site for European Sacred Mounts
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Piedmont