The presence of the stylist Nino Cerruti and the virtual but weighty presence of the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto are two of the prestigious supports coming from the territory to Biella’s candidacy as a center of textile mastery, among the number of creative cities of UNESCO. The project, which aims to project the capital and the entire province on a world stage, was presented in the city in a public meeting held on the afternoon of Monday 17 December at the Museum of the Territory. In a packed hall, it was the Municipality, through the mayor Marco Cavicchioli and the councilor for programming Valeria Varnero, and the Cassa di Risparmio Foundation, with president Franco Ferraris, to do the honors, as promoters of the initiative.
Angelo Boscarino and Elena Federica Marini, from the consulting firm that has already led to the success of Alba’s candidacy, told the story in more detail. The Biellese delegation had already met them in October, on the journey to the Pollenzo University of Taste which had formally started the project. The very example of the city of Cuneo has served to list the possible advantages of such an international showcase: opening up to the world and making known not only the characteristics of the Biella manufacturing but also the events and events that are organized around. “Biella already has a virtual network of contacts with the entire planet,” said Angelo Boscarino. “It’s just about putting them to good use”.
The times are dictated by Unesco itself: in February the call for tenders for the presentation of the new candidacies will be released, for which there is time until June, while the decision will be taken in the autumn 2019. First of all, on January 31, a new public meeting is set at Palazzo Gromo Losa al Piazzo. Biella will compete in the category “manufacturing and popular arts”, along with another Italian city, Florence. “But compared to them,” said Boscarino, “Biella’s artisan and industrial knowledge has been able to innovate and look to the future.” In the list so far the Italian cities are nine: Rome for cinema, Pesaro and Bologna for music, Alba and Parma for gastronomy, Turin for design, Milan for literature, Fabriano and Carrara for manufacturing, the same category in which aspires to enter Biella. So far, there are only six European cities recognized as masters in architecture and crafts: in addition to Carrara (marble) and Fabriano (paper), there are Sheki in Azerbaijan for silk, Gabrovo in Bulgaria for wood, Barcelos in Portugal for ceramics and Limoges in France for porcelain.
