Il Piazzo

In 1160 Uguccione, Bishop of Vercelli, granted those who climbed the spur above the town three things that mattered: justice administered on the spot, the right to slaughter livestock, and a weekly market. This is how the Piazzo began, at about 480 metres, looking down on the Biella of the plain, and it became a village of trade and administration. Two centuries later, in 1377, a revolt destroyed the bishop's castle; two years after that the town placed itself under the Savoy.

Behind the scenery of the palaces lies a less visible history. In vicolo del Bellone stood the Jewish ghetto, established in 1723, and a synagogue still exists today, on the upper floor of a medieval house and almost invisible from outside; it can be visited only on special occasions. Here the shape of the houses speaks of belonging and exclusion together. It is a part of the Piazzo's history that deserves attention and respect.

San Giacomo was consecrated in 1227; in piazzetta Cucco stands a rare late medieval half-timbered house, and the view opens over the Elvo and Oropa valleys. To get up there was the funicular of 1885, 177 metres long on a gradient reaching 33.5 per cent, free since 2018. It has been stopped since 1 September 2025: a replacement bus service runs, and in early October 2026 the Comune commissioned a technical study to decide how to restore the link, but there is no reopening date. Since 11 April 2026, with the official ceremony, the Piazzo has been among the Borghi più belli d'Italia, as a guest village.