Disappointed... (Biella)

Member Name: gbopotts

Product:	Biella
Date:	11/07/01 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: History, Vistas, Small-town Italian life

Disadvantages: Industrialized, Too far removed

...not in Biella, but the fact this category was listed and there was no opinion. It's amusing this was even a category being mainly an industrial town northwest of Milano, but Rappallo, the Italian Riveria town I was truly searching for, is not on this list.

Ah, well. I have had the joy of vising Italy twice on business, but surely found some personal time. I hail from North Carolina, USA, and work for a company that is the sales agent for half a dozen Italian textile machine manufacturers. My trips to Italy send me to this area northwest of Milano to Biella and Cossato, and to a large industrialized suburb of Firenze, Prato.

For those interested in Biella as a place to visit, let me offer my humble opinion. If you plan to be already in this region Biella is worth the time. As for making a special trip, I don't think it's worth the effort. Unless you are fascinated by old monastaries, and Medieval history. The monastary, Oropa, is ancient and beautiful. It sits high above Biella. It seems to be the guardian angel of the town. Near the monastary you have an incredible view of the surrounding town and countryside on clear days.

I wish I could recall the Medieval section of town--what it's called which escapes me presently. I love history, and living in a country that is only 225 years old, doesn't afford me much opportunity to look at and touch history many hundreds of years old. Of course this is prevelant throughout much of Europe, and it certianly is Biella's charm.

I also mentioned a smaller town, Cossato. Cossato is near Biella and I think you might enjoy a trip to this small village. My wife and I have friends there. Also, one of our vendors is located here. This is a great spot to spend some time and watch the world go by. I think one understands a new place, a new culture, more in a place like Cossato, than trying to drink in Rome, or the like. My memory still holds the image
s of a woman hanging her rugs on a clothes line to beat the dust out of them while wearing her apron. She kept running in and out of the house that afternoon while my wife and I enjoyed ourselves outside the Jolly Bar. Surely she was busy cooking and cleaning, just living her life. It seems so simple to me now as I write this, but it fascinated me so while I watched. We're so different, yet, so much the same.

I think my wife's favorite restaurant in the world is in Cossato. It's a pizzeria located downtown. We drove over an hour our last full day in Italy so she could have one more pizza before coming home.

The history and the vistas (mainly the pre-Alps) of this area make it a worthwhile drive if you find yourself near this region. But don't make a special trip.

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