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Biella (14Km)Biella, Piedmont, breathtaking panorama of the Biella Pre-Alps

Varallo (19,9Km)The sacred mountain of Varallo Sesia

Carpignano Sesia (20,7Km)Carpignano Sesia, Novara — discovering the Ricetto Castle

Madonna del Sasso (21,5Km)Beleto, a hamlet of the Madonna del Sasso

Orta San Giulio (24,5Km)Island of San Giulio on Lake Orta

Orta San Giulio (24,5Km)Orta San Giulio, the small town of artists

Orta San Giulio (24,5Km)Legro — the Painted Country

Oleggio Castello (28,3Km)Castello dal Pozzo - Oleggio Castello

Biella, Piedmont, breathtaking panorama of the Biella Pre-Alps

Biella, arcades of Oropa

Biella is a magnificent Italian town located in the Piedmont region. It's ideal for anyone looking for a spectacular place to relax and stay in direct contact with fantastic nature. Get to know this Piedmontese jewel!

In ancient Bugella Civitas, currently Biella, you will find a quiet place full of tradition. The local population is very welcoming and you will feel at ease. Going around the city it is impossible to ignore the breathtaking panorama of the Biella Prealps, it is really not to be missed, and above all , not to be forgotten!

Biella has undergone an industrial and commercial development of considerable importance by virtue of the numerous factories built here since the mid-19th century. And even today, in fact, most of the economic activities of Biella are based on the textile industry. The origin of these activities would be traced back as early as 500 BC, some rudimentary weaving tools have been found in the Burcina park. believe they belonged to Celtic civilization.

In the Middle Ages, then the Colleges of Lanaioli and Weavers were established in Biella, which soon extended to the entire territory of the region. Also very well known is the so-called “wool route”, which is located along the scenic road named after the Wool industrialist Ermenegildo Zegna, which is traveled between the inhabited by Trivero and Valle Cervo in a context of incomparable beauty. The territory of Biella is thus characterized by the wealth of environmental, historical-cultural and food and wine resources of considerable tourist interest.

In Biella there are many places to visit, if you love nature, it is worth a visit to the beautiful nature reserve of Parco Piacenza di Pollone and the Burcina Park.

Among the most important monuments we can consider the Duomo, the Baptistery, which is one of the most notable buildings of the primitive Romanesque art. in Piedmont, the Church of SS. Trinità, the Church of Santo Stefano like that of San Giacomo located at the Piazzo, the upper part of Biella reachable with a suggestive funicular. The most characteristic place, however, of Biella Piazzo is Piazza Cisterna, surrounded by medieval buildings with finely decorated porches and windows on which the Palace overlooks Cisterna, a building of exquisite workmanship from the tenth fifth century. They are equally worthy of a visit: the Marian Sanctuary of Oropa (the statue of the Black Madonna), the Church of San Sebastiano (in Renaissance style).

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The sacred mountain of Varallo Sesia

Sacro Monte of Varallo Sesia

Piedmont is the region that, despite having so much to offer, has not yet been discovered by tourists who leave seduce by the best known goals. Yet it is a serious mistake because in Piedmont there are real treasures of human ingenius including the Sacro Monte of Varallo Sesia, an exceptional complex of buildings formed by 43 chapels located along a path that is immersed in the green of a hill above the small town, Varallo.

The foundation of the Sacro Monte is closely linked to the nature and faith of medieval man as well as to the political situation of that era when the pilgrimage in places of worship becomes difficult and dangerous. So from the 15th century projects began to be born whose role is to present to the faithful the facts of the Passion of Christ and give the opportunity to follow his steps without the need to make a tiring and expensive journey to the Holy Land.

This idea finds its expression in the inscription at the entrance to the tomb of Jesus where it is written: Ut hic Jerusalem vidat here wandering nequit — “For here to see Jerusalem who cannot pilgrim you.

Regardless of the religious aspect, Sacro Monte di Varallo is an extraordinary show for art lovers.

The complex of the buildings consists of about fifty chapels with 400 groups of figures and about 4000 figures that appear in the fascinating frescoes by great artists such as Gaudenzio Ferrari, Giulio Cesare Luini, Giovanni and Melchiorre d'Enrico, Michele Prestinari, the Rovere brothers known as “the Flemish”, Antonio d' Enrico called “the Tanzio”, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli called “the Morazzone” and many others that over the course of a couple of centuries attributed to the birth of this & ldquo; New Jerusalem.”

The Sacro Monte has another interesting aspect: the naturalistic one. The complex itself stands on a rocky threshold that dominates the entire lower Valsesia up to Monte Fenera and, towards no

scritto da wUmrLVWz wUmrLVWz - ultima modifica il 31/10/2021

Carpignano Sesia, Novara — discovering the Ricetto Castle

Ricetto Castle

As usual, I discovered the charm of this small town by pure chance. I was coming back with my best half from Novara and for the umpteenth time we were crossing Carpignano without stopping. But this time I couldn't resist and, and since we had time, I asked for a short stop. Of course, my instincts didn't disappoint me, because it was really worth it.

Carpignano is not a city of art and its historic center is tiny. Parked the car under the canopy (it is also historic because it dates back to the beginning of the last century) we went into the historic center consisting of a small street main and some side alleys. The main street, still covered in pebbles and surrounded by the typical brick and stone houses of Sesia, led us to the Castello — Ricetto, whose core dates back to XI century. And be careful, don't expect a castle with towers and battlements.

To me, who I'm inexperienced, it seemed rather like a typical Italian farmhouse with a nice courtyard surrounded by buildings, dwellings and buildings where cattle were kept and and agricultural products. On one of the side alleys of the ricetto, Vicolo San Martino, overlook the fifteenth-century houses. In another building, a splendid press from 1575 is preserved. It is the oldest specimen of press preserved in Piedmont. I don't know how you are, but I'm always impressed when I see things so ancient. As a result, I also liked the barrels kept in the adjacent room: they were only large, but also old. In this building, the construction of the Museum of Peasant Civilization is planned in the future. Also within the framework of the castle is the church of San Pietro dating back to the 11th century. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the right key to open it and therefore we didn't enter.

And speaking of the keys: generally both the church and the press are open during patronal feasts and other special occasions. But we met a boy who brought us the keys, normally kept by ProLoco or in common, and did a bit of a guide. Always thanks to him we knew about the party that had to start in the evening (in fact we noticed the preparations: the boys who carried or placed the tables on the streets). This is the festival entitled “To the court of the salam d'la duja” dedicated, in fact, to this Piedmontese specialty.

It is the salami made with pork meat and bacon fat that are ground, seasoned and stuffed into the twisted gut of beef. After ripening, they are placed in a bowl called duja and covered with melted lard that keeps them soft for more than a year.And this goodness is the protagonist of three days during which you eat, drink, dance and have fun. We clearly eat not only the duja salami, but also other typical dishes and local products. When we were there, the menu included various cold cuts, paniscia, roast meat, dessert and coffee.

Not to forget the best wines in the area and there are lots of them, believe me. The dinner was accompanied by live music and everything took place in the medieval setting of the streets of Castello Ricetto. Of course it all depends on the weather and that time it wasn't really the best, but we still had a very pleasant evening. However, the festival is not limited only to the gastronomic side: on Sunday the market also takes place and you can also learn about the ancient crafts. I assure you that these days it is worth coming to Carpignano Sesia

scritto da wUmrLVWz wUmrLVWz - ultima modifica il 31/10/2021