Biella

Biella is a city in Piedmont, northern Italy, about 80 kilometers northeast of Turin in the Alpine foothills near Mount Mucrone, with abundant springs and lakes. Its name first appears in 826 CE as Bugella in a document recording a donation by Louis the Pious, and in 1160 the bishop of Vercelli granted trade privileges to settlers on Piazzo hill as refuge from factional warfare; guild records from 1245 already mention wool workers and weavers. The wool industry modernized in 1835 when a building was converted into a wool factory with mechanical looms, and Biella remains home to major textile firms including Ermenegildo Zegna, Cerruti 1881 and Vitale Barberis Canonico; as of 2026 its population was 43,356, the twelfth largest city in Piedmont. The UNESCO-designated Sanctuary of Oropa draws religious pilgrims, and the city hosts Fondazione Pistoletto, an arts center founded by artist Michelangelo Pistoletto in 1996.