The Namibian delegation arrived in Biella in the aftermath of the proclamation of Biella Creative Unesco City to visit the territory and understand the reasons for its success while starting at the same time the process of exchange of good practices and training inserted by Biella as an international collaboration project in the application file.
Ended Friday 8 November the official visit led the delegates to visit numerous entrepreneurial and gastronomic excellences of the territory as well as some symbolic places of the territory.
The intense program, developed by the management team (Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation, Municipality of Biella, Fondazione Pistoletto and BIA Srl) in collaboration with various institutional partners and thanks to the enthusiastic collaboration of the entrepreneurial realities has in fact envisaged a first reception at the “Zucchero filato” pastry shop in Via Italia, where the delegates were able to admire the new textile-themed location before visiting the Biella Piazzo cultural center accompanied by the representatives of the three buildings that make it up, where the “Travel” exhibition is currently set up . The evening continued with a dinner at “La civetta”.
The visit week then opened on Monday 4 November with an intense training seminar at the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation which was attended by representatives of the Industrial Union, the Chamber of Commerce and Ance Biella, the latter particularly interested in the potential of use of wool in the building field as an insulator.
In the afternoon, transfer to Città Studi with a very intense educational on textile and textile and health with interviews with the representatives of the various realities present in the Textile Center; the evening ended with a gala dinner at the Rotary Club of Biella.
On Tuesday 5th the program featured the Biellese Territory Museum where delegates were able to visit the various sections that tell the story of the Biella area and then move to Miagliano for a confrontation with entrepreneur Nigel Thompson, representative of the Biella the Wool Company Consortium.
The lunch took place at the “Bistrot Le Arti” in Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation where the Director Paolo Naldini illustrated the artistic and social project of Maestro Michelangelo Pistoletto in addition to Nova Civitas. Afterwards visit to the Perrettino di Verrone and in the evening transfer to the Ricetto of Candelo for a much appreciated dinner at “La taverna del Ricetto” open for the occasion thanks to the Municipality of Candelo and Mr. Maffei.
An institutional meeting was held on Wednesday 6 November at the Municipality of Biella with the participation of many institutional offices including a delegation from the Piedmont Region and where the governor of the Karas region, Lucia Basson, led the singing of the Namibian hymns with traditional costume local then exchanging gifts with the Mayor Claudio Corradino.
The lunch took place at the IIS Gae Aulenti which showed the delegation the excellence of the Biella hotel training while in the afternoon there was a visit to the Fratelli Piacenza Wool Mill. The day ended with a meeting with the Woollen National Trade Association and dinner at the “La lira” restaurant.
The last day of the visit finally provided for the transfer to Trivero at the Zegna Wool Mill where the delegates admired the combination of futuristic industrial processes and archives care and in the afternoon a visit to the Centovigne company at the Castellengo castle.
The evening ended with a dinner at “La croce bianca” in Oropa.
The impressions of the delegates and the Honorary Consul of Namibia in Piedmont and Lombardy were very positive. Petter Johannesen thanked Biella for the splendid welcome given to the delegation, hoping that relations with Namibia would be strengthened and developed during the realization of the Unesco project.
