Piedmont · Biella
Biella
A wool city in the Alpine foothills, where the medieval Piazzo sits above the modern Piano, connected by a funicular since 1885.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 21 min from Turin
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 42,619
Known for
WOOL
Centre of Italian fine-wool weaving since the thirteenth century; Zegna, Cerruti, Loro Piana, Piacenza and Fila all founded in the Biellese.
SACRO MONTE DI OROPA
Pilgrimage complex above the city, dedicated to the Black Madonna, inscribed in the UNESCO Sacri Monti site in 2003.
FUNICOLARE DEL PIAZZO
Water-counterbalance funicular from 1885 that still carries riders the 60 meters between the lower Piano and the medieval Piazzo.
NOCCIOLA DEL PIEMONTE / NOCCIOLA PIEMONTE
The commune lies inside the Nocciola del Piemonte / Nocciola Piemonte IGP production zone.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J8°
- F11°
- M12°
- A16°
- M20°
- J25°
- J27°
- A27°
- S22°
- O17°
- N11°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Stefano, 26 December
Why come
Biella sits at the foot of the Biellese Alps, in a basin where fast Alpine streams cut down from Mont Mars and the Oropa range. The statutes of 1245 already named the woolworkers' and weavers' guilds, and the city built itself around them: by the nineteenth century, vertical mills along the streams had turned Biella into the Manchester of Italy. The names still on the labels, Zegna, Cerruti, Loro Piana, Piacenza, Fila, were founded here.
The upper town, Biella Piazzo, sits above the modern Piano on a small hill, reached since 1885 by a water-counterbalance funicular that still runs the same 60-meter climb. The Romanesque Baptistery on Piazza Duomo is the city's oldest stone, ninth or tenth century, set next to the cathedral. Above the city, the Sacro Monte di Oropa belongs to the UNESCO Sacri Monti site, and Biella was named a UNESCO Creative City for Crafts and Folk Art in 2019.
The Sunday letter
Biella is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Biella comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Biella in our articles
The best towns known for what they grow within two hours of Milan6 towns, Biella among them.
The prettiest villages that eat well in Piemonte6 towns, Biella among them.
The prettiest villages within 90 minutes of Novara6 towns, Biella among them.
The best towns known for their meat within two hours of Turin7 towns, Biella among them.
How to get there
From Turin (TRN), about 1h 21m by car.
Milan (BGY) is about 2 hours away.
By car from the centre of Brescia 2h 23m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Turin, Milan or Genoa?
Coming by train into Torino Porta Susa? Biella is about 1h 18m away by road.
What to see
Biella Piazzo
Medieval upper town on a small hill above the modern Piano, with arcaded palazzi and narrow stone streets, reached by funicular since 1885.
Funicolare del Piazzo
Historic funicular opened in December 1885, covering a 60-meter altitude gradient in 177 meters between Via Curiel and Via Avogadro.
Battistero di Biella
Romanesque baptistery on Piazza Duomo, ninth to tenth century, the oldest standing monument in the city.
Duomo di Biella
Gothic cathedral dedicated to Santo Stefano, rebuilt in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries on the site of an earlier church.
Sacro Monte di Oropa
Pilgrimage complex above the city in the Oropa basin, part of the UNESCO Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy site.
Museo del Territorio Biellese
Civic museum in the former monastery of San Sebastiano, with archaeology, sacred art and a section on the Biellese wool district.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Biella fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Matteo RistoranteRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100) for Matteo Ristorante, and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
CaminettoRistorante
Caminetto carries one Gambero Rosso fork (75/100).
Chez SophieRistorante
Chez Sophie carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100).
Il PatioRistorante
One Michelin star, at Il Patio.
RegalloRistorante
Regallo carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Bolle di Malto - Salone Italiano della Birrafood festival
usually held across August and September. Piemonte Italia (Regione Piemonte / Unioncamere) - Eventi
Living here
- Population 42,619
- A local hubi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Turin, 1 h 21 min drive
- Regional capital Torino, 1 h 21 min drive
Common questions
- What is Biella known for?
- Biella is a wool city at 417 meters in the Alpine foothills, where the medieval Piazzo sits above the modern Piano, connected by a funicular since 1885.
- Where is Biella?
- Biella is a comune in the province of Biella, in Piedmont.
- What is the nearest airport to Biella?
- Turin (TRN), about 1h 21m by car.
- Can you get to Biella without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Brescia to Biella?
- About 2h 23m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Biella?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 27 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 17 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Biella?
- Yes. Bolle di Malto - Salone Italiano della Birra. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Biella?
- Venaria Reale, Bra and Ivrea.
- How many people live in Biella?
- 42,619 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 417 m
- Population: 42,619
- Surface area: 46.69 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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