Discover Magnano: History, Art and Landscape

Magnano can be explored through a range of travel interests: medieval local history, churches from different centuries, art at Villa Flecchia and a landscape shaped by forests. Early music, golf and cycling are also linked to specific places or activities. When planning a stay, it helps to organise these themes around your interests. If a concert is the reason for your visit, the date matters most; for a trip focused on golf or cycling, other details take priority.

Ricetto and churches: history across different periods

The Ricetto di Magnano dates back to 1204. It was built after Magnano was granted the status of a free town, a borgo franco. Its origins are therefore linked to a specific period in the town’s history. The Ricetto stands on a hill and offers a panoramic view of the town. The complex still reveals its original structure and, in part, its architectural features. Its date of origin, elevated position and preserved structure each provide a different way to understand the Ricetto.

The churches, too, mark different points in time. The Chiesa di San Secondo dates from the first half of the 11th century. The present-day Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Giovanni Battista opened for worship in 1670. The dates are several centuries apart and refer to different aspects: for San Secondo, the church’s origins; for San Giovanni Battista, its opening for worship. Magnano’s church history can thus be explored through two named churches and their respective dates.

Villa Flecchia and the landscape

Villa Flecchia houses a collection of more than sixty paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. From the villa, the view extends across plains, densely forested areas, cultivated fields and small towns to the Serra Morenica di Ivrea. The collection and the view offer different points of focus: one centres on painting, the other on a panorama spanning several landscape features to the horizon. Forests now cover most of the area around Magnano. This general characteristic of the landscape complements the specific features visible from the villa.

Music, golf and cycling

Musica Antica a Magnano holds concerts of early music as part of its summer festival, which runs from late July to early September. The dates vary each year. If you would like to plan your trip around a concert, check the specific festival dates for your chosen travel period.

The “Le Betulle” Golf Club has an 18-hole parkland course with a par of 73, designed by John Morrison. The number of holes, par and course design each describe the course from a different angle. For a cycling trip, the route “Cicloturismo: Sulla collina morenica più lunga d'Europa” is a specific point of reference: it passes through Magnano. The activities mentioned therefore differ in how they can be planned: the festival dates change each year, while the golf course and cycling route can be considered through their respective described features.

Getting here and planning your stay

The Biella–Ivrea bus service runs from the railway stations in Biella or Ivrea to Magnano. Check the current timetable before travelling. When planning your stay, you can weigh up different points of reference: historical dates and the landscape and course features described here sit alongside a seasonal music programme and a named cycling route. If a particular concert date is essential, plan around its specific date; for travel by bus, the timetable is the practical detail to check shortly before your journey.

Discover more destinations: Zimone, Graziano-Ruta, Sala Biellese, Mongrando, Andorno Cacciorna, Torazza, Donato, Solesio.

For the broader travel overview: Biella.