The best traffic-free bike rides around Lake dell'Ingagna

as the name suggests, it is unfortunately poorly maintained

The monument is located at the point where, on May 30, 1999, during the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia (Racconigi - Oropa), Marco Pantani suffered a chain drop. He was forced to stop and lost 40 seconds. He restarted, overtook 49 opponents, and won the stage.

The Monument to Marco Pantani, dedicated to the famous Italian cyclist — nicknamed “Il Pirata” for his characteristic bandana — is a commemorative work erected in various places linked to his life and achievements in the world of cycling.

Fountain outside Billa towards Oropa

dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

The center of Zubiena is quite small and centers around a large square that is quite remarkable from an urban planning perspective. It features a large fountain, the town hall, and, opposite it, at the top of a flight of steps, the imposing façade of the parish church of San Nicolao, dating from 1756. Its exposed brickwork lends a warm and captivating tone. Although relatively rare in the Biella area, where this is the largest example, brick Baroque church façades are common in other parts of Piedmont and, overall, constitute a distinctive feature. Zubiena's Baroque style, however, is simple and unadorned, with two clear-cut string courses that restrain the upward thrust of the six pilasters. Next to it stands the very tall 19th-century bell tower: anyone observing the Serra from the Biella plain, even from afar, will easily recognize it.

THE SULPHUR SPRING OF ZUBIENA LA FONTANA SOLFOROSA Home Culture Museums Books & Magazines Dialect Not far from the borders of the Bessa, among the numerous natural springs in the territory of Zubiena, we find the Sulphur Spring (Fontana Solforosa). Where until a few years ago there was one of the most suggestive attractions of the Biellese, now everything lies in a state of abandonment. Once it gushed in a meadow in the hamlet of Vermogno, owned by Mr. Bonino Celestino. After discovering its therapeutic virtues, the inhabitants of the surrounding cantons decided to "imprison" it in a small tower built in 1872. The sulphurous water flows at 50 liters per minute and, in its time, despite its clarity, it was called "caccastracci" (gut-buster) due to the whitish flocculent deposit it leaves where it flows. Those who came near smelled the characteristic foul odor, which was synonymous with therapeutic virtues. Doctors recommended drinking it, asserting that it "promoted diuresis, benefited indigestion, in the treatment of goiter, skin diseases, against ulcerative stomatitis, against rheumatism, against obesity, ... After the construction of the tower, the owner (seeing the large influx of people) began a beverage sales business, later transforming the area into a place of hospitality, with an adjoining trattoria. It was a success that lasted over a hundred years. Now the trattoria is gone; the hill is uncultivated; the Olobbia stream, near which the spring stands, has little maintenance. "Once," says Mrs. Bonino Carla, one of the heirs of the late Celestino, "the place was a destination for people from Canavese, Biella, Turin and many others who came to draw health benefits. Many also came with carts full of bottles and demijohns."

Parish church of Ronco Biellese