On April 5th, a new significant chapter was written for Biella Creative City Archipelago. Before detailing the recent developments, it’s important to reflect on the origins of the project: initially launched in 2019 as an initiative aimed at involving the local community, it was started by Cittadellarte and supported by Fondazione Biellezza and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Biella. After a mapping process—carried out by engaging dozens of young people—reflection and coordination tables were set up on local issues of interest. Moreover, an exhibition space was created to showcase the region’s best practices, always in relation to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda. Since 2024, a progressive involvement of institutions and organizations has also been initiated, both in the activities carried out and in the coordination of the Biella Creative City Archipelago initiative itself.

The Protocol

In this context, on Saturday, April 5th, Cittadellarte hosted a key moment for the project and for the city: the public signing of the Biella Creative City Archipelago Collaboration Protocol for the cultural, environmental, and economic sustainable development of the Biella area as a common good, between the Municipality of Biella, the Province of Biella, and Cittadellarte. With the signing of the protocol, the contribution of Biella Creative City Archipelago to the promotion of dialogue and agreements between local entities, social parties, and other public or private actors in the Biella area is recognized, aiming to promote local development in line with the sustainable development goals, as well as their possible integration into negotiated programming tools foreseen by the regulations. The protocol, which does not impose any financial burden on the signatories, strengthens the existing collaboration fostered by the Biella Creative City Archipelago initiative and the coordination with Biella Creative City UNESCO. The "islands" of the archipelago are represented not only by the urban agglomerations of the 74 municipalities but also by the themes that emerge as a link between the different entities operating in the Biella area, which work together to address the needs of the population through a participatory process.

The Participation of the Pistaaa Delegation: The Piedmontese Blue Way

On Saturday, April 5th, in addition to the Municipality, the Province, and Cittadellarte, a delegation from the Pistaaa: The Piedmontese Blue Way project was present. This project, launched and managed by the social promotion association CioCheVale, chaired by Alberto Guggino, ambassador for Rebirth/Third Paradise based in the Turin area, aimed to revalorize and protect the peripheral/rural areas located beyond the hills of Turin through a synergistic approach. The project was conceived with the ambition of promoting cycle tourism but, above all, of becoming a tool for territorial development, through the involvement and awareness-raising of institutions, associations, and local stakeholders. Through the identification of a cycling and pedestrian route along dirt roads, bike paths, and low-traffic roads, 44 municipalities from the Collina Torinese, Chierese, Pianalto, Basso Monferrato, and surrounding areas were involved. Also in light of the similarities and affinities with Biella Creative City Archipelago, over 20 mayors from the municipalities that joined the project participated in Saturday’s meeting.

The Program

The meeting, held in the Biella Creative City Archipelago space at Cittadellarte, began with introductory speeches by Paolo Naldini, Director of Cittadellarte, Marzio Olivero, Mayor of Biella, and Emanuele Ramella Pralungo, President of the Province of Biella. Nazarena Lanza (Biella Creative City Archipelago) and Elisabetta Prederigo (Deputy Mayor of Valdilana) then took the floor, with Prederigo presenting the Educational Community Pact, a notable outcome of the public-private co-design activity facilitated by the Biella Creative City Archipelago project. The meeting reached its highlight with the signing of the protocol by Mayor Olivero, President Ramella Pralungo, and Cittadellarte Vice President Maria Pioppi.

Following this, the Pistaaa: The Piedmontese Blue Way project was presented through speeches by Alberto Guggino, President of CioCheVale, Antonella Giordano, Councillor for Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Chieri, and Daniela Miron, Councillor for Territorial Enhancement of the Municipality of Cambiano, representing the 44 municipalities involved in the project. The meeting continued with a talk by Andrea Rolando (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Polytechnic University of Milan), who explained the work carried out by Woolscape, a project aimed at enhancing the Biella landscape by creating three looped cycling routes – designed by Rolando – that connect sites of industrial heritage. The event concluded with a final speech by Michelangelo Pistoletto: “I am deeply moved. With these signatures,” the artist stated, “a new principle of social regeneration has been established, but a practical one. We want a society of people who have a home together. The mayors, in this sense, are extraordinary, because they represent the point of convergence for finding practical solutions; moreover, each individual is already an enterprise, a family. This, in my opinion, is a signature of great families.”

The Comment by Cittadellarte Director Paolo Naldini

“Public and private have long been seen as an antithesis that was difficult to reconcile, and probably not always wrongly. Today, however, we must change paradigms because the challenges we face are always both local and global. The formula of creation indicates the perspective based on collaboration, and this protocol establishes the intention to walk this path. It is about building those circular spaces between different public and private organizations where cooperation can take place, and where we can remain connected in a single fabric. This is the grammar of the art of demopraxia, the Biella interpretation of which takes the form of the city archipelago. Elsewhere, as in Rome, it focuses on the city and its challenges; in Geneva, on food as a universal right; in Cuba, on the economy of reuse; and so on. In every place, a different vocation finds development in the collective intelligence that is the only possible answer to the small and large challenges we all face.”


The Comment by the Mayor of Biella, Marzio Olivero

“The sustainable development of a territory is fundamental to ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental protection, and cultural enhancement. Promoting eco-friendly practices, supporting local businesses, and preserving historical heritage enables the creation of a virtuous economy that respects the environment. This protocol, uniting public and private forces, moves in this direction, with the intention of increasingly investing in innovative and ecological practices to strengthen cultural identity and improve the quality of life, ensuring a prosperous future for future generations.”


The Comment by the President of the Province of Biella, Emanuele Ramella Pralungo

“In the City Archipelago, I find much of what is also my mission as the ‘House of Municipalities,’ in my role as President of our Province. This is also why I enthusiastically adhered to the ‘Biella Creative City Archipelago’ protocol, a crucial step to promote synergy between local authorities, social partners, and other public or private entities. This action to engage the territory is what I have also been trying to achieve for years, and what I hope for the Province 2.0: effective coordination between the municipalities of Biella.

The ‘islands’ that form the Archipelago, when taken individually, would remain isolated, but united they can become a powerful engine of development and innovation. I can extend this reasoning to the Province of Biella: all the municipalities, grouped under the House of the Province, have weight, identity, and value that, together, allow us to reach significant achievements. My goal has always been to promote unity and cooperation among our municipalities, so that our territory can fully express its potential. In a vision of shared growth, it is essential that we all work together in the same direction to chart the course toward a more united, strong, and impactful territory.”


The Comment by the President of CioCheVale, Alberto Guggino

“Biella Creative City Archipelago,” began the President of CioCheVale, “resonates with our project Pistaaa: The Piedmontese Blue Way, particularly in the consideration of sustainable tourism within a broader system of sharing in the management and enhancement of the territory, where public institutions and private entities collaborate for the common good. In both projects,” Guggino continued, “the Third Paradise by Michelangelo Pistoletto is taken as a reference: the philosophy of the trinamic symbol lies precisely in the co-creation exercised by different or even opposing entities, according to the formula of 1 + 1 = 3. Today,” he concluded, “was a call to take care of the environment and people: in short, a call to the arts.”

Cover Photo: All participants of the meeting.

The municipalities that have so far joined the Pistaaa project: Albugnano, Andezeno, Aramengo, Arignano, Berzano San Pietro, Buttigliera d'Asti, Cambiano, Carmagnola, Casalborgone, Castagnole Piemonte, Castagneto Po, Castelnuovo, Cellarengo, Cerreto d'Asti, Chieri, Cinzano, Dusino San Michele, Isolabella, La Loggia, Lauriano, Marentino, Mombello di Torino, Moncucco, Moncalieri, Montaldo, Moriondo, Pancalieri, Passerano Marmorito, Pavarolo, Pecetto, Pino Torinese, Poirino, Pralormo, Rivalba, Riva Presso Chieri, San Mauro, San Raffaele Cimena, San Sebastiano da Po, Santena, Sciolze, Trofarello, Valfenera, Villanova, Villastellone.