On the second weekend of December, Cittadellarte will once again transform into a place of creativity, exchange and participation as it welcomes back Cittadelmarket, the event which for nearly a decade has brought together art, craftsmanship, sustainability and community.
For two days, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Foundation’s spaces will be animated by activities designed to engage audiences of all ages: markets, workshops, exhibitions, well-being sessions, live music and guided tours will offer visitors a rich and multifaceted cultural experience.
More than just a creative market, Cittadelmarket is a celebration of the Biella area and its talents, capable of uniting tradition, innovation and social engagement. The event is organised by Francesca Acquadro (a student of Accademia Unidee) and Maria Tassone, in collaboration with Cittadellarte and the Pro Loco of Biella. Below is the full programme of the two-day event.

The “Well-Being” Programme

Throughout the event, Cittadellarte will host a range of activities dedicated to physical and mental well-being, from yoga to meditation.

Saturday:
– 10:30–11:30: Basic yoga and pranayama, led by Marta Massara
– 11:30–12:30: Taichichuan – The Path of Balance, with Cristina Pirinoli
– 14:30–15:30 & 15:30–16:30: Children’s yoga (ages 7–10), with Elena Mantovani
– 16:30–17:30: Hata Yoga, with Giuseppe Villa

Sunday:
– 10:30–11:30: Hata Yoga, with Giuseppe Villa
– 11:30–12:30: Chair Yoga – Find Calm and Energy Even While Seated, with Elena Mantovani
– 14:30–16:00: Mantra – Singing from the Heart, with Lara Chinotti
– 16:00–17:00: Taichichuan – The Path of Balance, again with Cristina Pirinoli

Creative Workshops and Events

Cittadelmarket will also feature a wide range of creative activities open to the public.

Saturday:
– 10:30–12:30: Weaving workshop by Paolo Vergnaghi (Associazione Passi d’Asino)
– 10:30–12:30 & 15:30–17:30: Punch needle workshop by artisan Nicole Veimaro (also offered at the same times on Sunday)

Sunday:
– 10:30–12:30: Bonsai workshop by master Riccardo Valle
– 14:30–17:30: Natural Christmas wreath workshop by Cristina Zia

Music will also take centre stage: on Saturday from 17:30 to 19:00, the choir Le voci del sabato sera, composed of forty adult and youth voices with live accompaniment, will perform a free concert.

Presentation of Good Morning, Palestine

On Sunday 14 at 4 p.m., the Museo del Presente will host a new presentation of Good Morning, Palestine, the novel by Paolo Naldini, director of Cittadellarte, moderated by Andrea Formagnana, journalist at Il Biellese. The event will also feature contributions from:
– Dalia Jacobs, a Palestinian interdisciplinary artist working across photography, performance, video art and immersive audiovisual installations;
– Walid Ma’wed, a Palestinian artist living in Israel, former UNIDEE Residency student and creator of The School Bag Project: Supporting Education in Gaza, to which all proceeds from the book are donated.
The book - available in bookshops and online, also in digital format - takes the form of a journey into conscience and guilt regarding one’s passivity in the face of history, and the disquieting normality with which injustice is tolerated.
It tells the story of Sebastiano, a middle-school teacher overwhelmed by a moral and emotional crisis, fuelled by helplessness in the face of the genocide of the Palestinian people and by an irrational yet vital love for a singer he “knows” - or rather listens to - on YouTube. Good Morning, Palestine is a cry, but also an intimate diary made public: in constant and provocative dialogue with his inner conscience, Sebastiano decides to set out on foot towards Jerusalem accompanied only by his poodle, Leone. It is an inner march before a geographical one, a journey toward the idea of a different tomorrow.
Between reality and delirium, love and desire, the novel unfolds as a slow loss - and perhaps recovery - of balance, first solitary then collective. Written between summer and autumn 2024 - before the Global March to Gaza held in Cairo in June 2025 - the book has proved unexpectedly prophetic. It becomes a mirror of a suspended reality where literature meets introspection and civic engagement: as mentioned, proceeds support The School Bag Project, aiding education for children in war-affected regions of Gaza.

Accademia Unidee’s Participation

Accademia Unidee will be among the protagonists of the event, opening its spaces to visitors throughout the two days.
Highlights include student exhibitions within Universario:
– Gabriel Croso’s final project
– Works from the contemporary art course
– Works from the sustainable fashion course

Several art workshops are also scheduled:
– Life-drawing workshop with live model, with Zeinab Moussavi – Saturday at 10 a.m. (Universario)
– Ceramics and modelling workshop with Luz J. Carollo – Sunday at 10 a.m. (Art Lab)
– Green Screen “Make Your Christmas Video” workshop with Gabriel Croso – Saturday 15:00–19:00 (Universario)

For fashion, two tailoring workshops - Create Your Kimono - with Anastasia Raccuglia and Giorgia Carnaghi will take place on Saturday and Sunday at 15:30 in the fashion lab.

Registrations can be made on site, though booking is recommended:
+39 391 773 0930 – orientamento@accademiaunidee.it

Information points will be active at the entrances to Universario and the Art Lab.

Activities by Cittadellarte’s Learning Environments Office

Four initiatives are scheduled:

1. Circus Family: Where Fun Becomes Family – 13 December, 15:00–17:00 at Palazzo del Buongoverno. A balance workshop for child–adult pairs (€10), curated by Circo Biloba in collaboration with Fondazione Pistoletto, supported by Fondazione CRB within the Sports Education programme.
2. Open School of the Third Paradise Students’ Market – 14 December, in the fashion hall until 12:30/13:00, followed by an open-song performance and circus activities at 15:00.
3. Open School Open Day – 14 December, 10:30–17:30, for families with children aged 5–11 or entering primary school.
   Info & booking: Annalisa 349 376 0433 – parentale.ambientiapprendimento@cittadellarte.it
4. L’Arte Vien Giocando – Art workshop curated by Luz J. Carollo, 14 December, 14:30–16:30 (€5 per child).
   

The Let Eat Bi Market

Throughout the two days, the corridors of the Sale Auliche will host numerous agricultural enterprises partnered with Let Eat Bi, including:

Lady T – Thai forest teas (Monsoon Tea)
Lavino Zona – Agricultural Brewery
Pure Living Kombucha (Andrea Marostegan)
L’Aperitiva – organic honey, spreads, mead
Cascina Angiolina – organic rice
L’Orto d’Asporto – vegetables and preserves
Lorenzo Rovero – organic and natural wine
Cascina La Grà – herbal and wild-plant products, vermouth
Green Italy – hemp, ancient grains and corn products
Cascina Pralba – cow and goat cheeses
Gattinera Farm – cereals, pasta and legumes (organic & gluten-free)
I Fiori degli Elfi – wreaths, candles, botanical crafts
Cinzia Petraroli – artistic ceramics
Bi-Bio Char – biochar

Associazione Passi d’Asino will also be present with baskets and a weaving workshop by master Paolo Vergnaghi.
Visitors will also be able to purchase the illustrated Let Eat Bi 2026 calendars by Aly Miller. “Expect music, the unmissable 'beer brulé' from the Lavino Zona brewery and free tastings by producers,” announce the organisers.

Guided Tours

During the event, visitors can book and join free guided tours of Fondazione Pistoletto’s permanent collection.
Available time slots: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30.
Booking required via: visita@cittadellarte.it The Palazzo del Buongoverno will also be open to the public with free admission from 10:30 to 18:30.

Comment from the Director of Cittadellarte

“Creativity,” begins Paolo Naldini, “manifests in all forms of life, and in markets we encounter it embodied in the forms of the world, of nature and of human intelligence. Clothes, jewellery and all kinds of objects carry messages and values—and above all the identity of those who conceived and made them. Markets are like temporary exhibitions, ephemeral and approachable, where one can often touch—and sometimes taste—the creations of talented artisans and artists. Cittadellarte, in the UNESCO Creative City, thus becomes Cittadelmarket, thanks to the initiative of two young Biella residents, one of whom is a student of Accademia Unidee itself. That Biella is a creative city,” concludes Naldini, “is evident here as well.”