Biella

This article covers the city of Biella, further meanings under Biella (disambiguation) .

Biella
Country	Italy
region	Piedmont
province	Biella  (BI)
Coordinates	45 ° 34 '  N , 8 ° 4'  E Coordinates: 45 ° 34 '0 "  N , 8 ° 4' 0"  E
height	420  m slm
surface	46.68 km²
Residents	43,812 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	939 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	13900
prefix	015
ISTAT number	096004
Popular name	Biellesi
Patron saint	Santo Stefano
Website	Biella

Biella is a city with 43,812 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) and the capital of the Italian province of Biella in the Piedmont region .

The town's patron saint is Santo Stefano .

View of the center of Biella

geography

The city lies at an altitude of 420 m above sea level at the foot of the Alps . The municipality covers an area of ​​46 km².

The neighboring municipalities are Andorno Micca , Candelo , Fontainemore ( AO ), Gaglianico , Occhieppo Inferiore , Occhieppo Superiore , Pettinengo , Pollone , Ponderano , Pralungo , Ronco Biellese , Sagliano Micca , San Paolo Cervo , Sordevolo , Tollegno , Vigliano Biellese and Zumaglia .

history

The ancient name of the city is Bugella Civitas . In a document from the year 826 it is described that Louis the Pious , son of Charlemagne , gave the place to a certain Count Busone . In the 10th century the city was inhabited by Alemanni , Lombards and Franks , who also built the first city wall to defend against the invasion of barbarians. The city's current cathedral, Santo Stefano , was also built during this period.

During the Second World War , the city and the surrounding hills were the scene of fierce partisans .

Sacro Monte di Oropa

The Baptistery ( Battistero ) of Biella.

Culture and sights

In Oropa , the Sacro Monte was built from 1617 in addition to the already existing Marian pilgrimage church, which is one of the oldest places of worship in Piedmont and is of great importance for the faithful. It is a well-known place of pilgrimage and has been recognized by UNESCO as one of the Sacri Monti as a World Heritage Site since 2003 .

Biella is also home to the Citta dell'arte - Fondazione Pistoletto . In 1994 the Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto proclaimed his program Progetto Arte, the aim of which was the creative and socio-economic unification of all parts of human existence; in the narrower sense, the systematic combination of all the achievements and knowledge of civilization with aspects of art (e.g. fashion, theater, design, etc.). In 1996 he founded the art city Citta dell'arte - Fondazione Pistoletto in a decommissioned textile factory in Biella as a center and "laboratory" that supports and researches creative resources and generates innovative ideas and possibilities.

Economy and Transport

The city is the seat of the Italian wool industry , as well as the cotton , hat, paper and furniture industries.

It is on the state road 135 Vercellese and the A4 ( Turin - Milan ), A5 (Turin - Aosta ) and A26 ( Genoa - Gravellona Toce ) motorways . There is a small airport in the nearby town of Verrone .

Sports

Biella was two stages of the Giro d'Italia :

• 21st stage 1964 (winner Gianni Motta )
• 17th stage 1996 (winner Nicolai Bo Larsen )

In 2007 , a mountain time trial (winner Marzio Bruseghin ) was the 13th stage from Biella to the pilgrimage church of Oropa .

The basketball club Pallacanestro Biella was represented in the Lega Basket Serie A , the top division in Italy, from 2001 to 2013 and currently plays as Eurotrend Biella in the A2 series .

Town twinning

Biella is connected to through town twinning

city	country
Arequipa	Peru
Kiryu	Kantō, Japan
Tourcoing	Hauts-de-France, France
Weihai	Huadong, People's Republic of China

sons and daughters of the town

• Bonifacio Ferrero (1476-1543), cardinal
• Vittorio Sella (1859–1943), mountain photographer and mountaineer
• Giacomo Debenedetti (1901–1967), literary critic
• Carlo Felice Trossi (1908–1949), racing car driver
• Giovanni Bracco (1908–1968), racing car driver
• Federico Hindermann (1921–2012), novelist, poet, translator, editor and publishing director
• Nino Cerruti (* 1930), fashion designer
• Tavo Burat (1932–2009), journalist, writer and poet
• Giancarlo Cori (* 1933), painter
• Michelangelo Pistoletto (* 1933) painter, action and object artist, art theorist
• Francesco Guido Ravinale (* 1943), Catholic clergyman, bishop emeritus of Asti
• Gianluca Susta (* 1956), politician
• Piero Liatti (* 1962), rally driver
• Roberto Franco (* 1964), freestyle skier
• Vittorio Francesco Viola OFM (* 1965), Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Tortona
• Valeria Caucino (* 1966), musician and singer
• Denis Lunghi (* 1976), racing cyclist
• Alberto Gilardino (* 1982), football player
• Silvia Avallone (* 1984), author and poet
• Mattia Pozzo (* 1989), racing cyclist
• Davide Dato (* 1990), ballet dancer
• Stefano Beltrame (* 1993), football player

Web links

Commons : Biella  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• City homepage (Italian)
• Oropa sacro monte ( Memento of March 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• The Holy Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy (German)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
2. ↑ Citta dell'arte - Fondazione Pistoletto
3. ↑ Elenco siti collegati a Biella | Comune di Biella. Retrieved August 5, 2019 .