Overview
The name of this district of Biella, the most dynamic and busiest in the city because of its many shops and restaurants, derives from its particularly flat geography, especially when compared to that of the many hills that surround it. Close to the right bank of the Cervo Stream, whose powerful current has made the fortune of so many of Biella's wool and yarn industries, the Piano district holds some monuments and points of interest not to be missed by travellers.
In front of Piazza Duomo, considered the geographical centre of Biella, stands the neo-Gothic façade of St Stephen's Cathedral, dominated by a tall Romanesque bell tower and flanked by an ancient red-brick baptistery. An equally significant basilica in terms of its history and art collection is that of St Sebastiano, located just south of the Duomo. Among the works preserved in the interior, a 16th century polyptych by the painter Bernardino Lanino stands out, hidden in a chapel along the right aisle.
Via Italia, the shopping artery, is mostly closed to traffic and cuts the Piano district from north to south. Cafés, pâtisseries, shops, offices and food shops open along its arcades. There is no shortage of interesting museums in the vicinity of Via Italia: it is impossible not to mention the Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto, a centre dedicated to contemporary art and society; the FILA Museum Foundation, of the clothing brand of the same name; the MeBo Menabrea Botalla Museum, where you can explore the history and flavours of two typically Biellese food and wine products: Menabrea beer and Botalla cheese
