Museo del Territorio Biellese

Since December 2001, the Museo del Territorio Biellese has housed Biella’s civic collections of archaeology, Egyptian antiquity, pre-Columbian cultures and fine art in the Renaissance cloister of San Sebastiano, begun in 1500.

Why it matters

The museum brings together archaeology, Egyptian and pre-Columbian material, and fine and decorative arts. Its sections span the deep history of the local territory, a dedicated Egyptian collection with a mummy, material from pre-Columbian cultures, and a storico-artistica section anchored by the Collezione Guagno Poma — a range that reflects the collecting ambitions of Biella's 19th- and 20th-century citizens as much as the city's own past. The setting doubles the interest: the museum occupies the Chiostro di San Sebastiano, the Renaissance cloister of the church complex begun in 1500, so the containers themselves are monuments. The museum is also the institutional hub of the Rete Museale Biellese, the network linking the area's museums, which keeps it central to the city's cultural life.

What to notice

The collections span three main areas. The archaeological collections cover the Biellese territory from prehistory, including a paleontological section, and include the Piroga di Bertignano, a prehistoric dugout canoe recovered locally. The Egyptian collection includes a mummy, and a separate area is devoted to pre-Columbian cultures. The Sezione Storico-Artistica gathers painting and the decorative arts, with the Galleria Opere scelte and the Collezione Guagno Poma at its core, alongside the Collezione Blotto Baldo, the Fondo Piero Bora and the Collezione Lucci. The Galleria del Territorio focuses on the landscape and industry of the Biella area, including its wool heritage.

Context and history

Biella's civic collections, accumulated through donations and municipal acquisitions, were eventually brought together under the Comune di Biella. Its installation in the Chiostro di San Sebastiano linked the collections to one of the city's most important monuments, the Renaissance complex begun in 1500 for Sebastiano Ferrero, whose arcaded cloister provided galleries of coherent scale around a quiet court. Over time the museum developed beyond a local antiquarium into a multidisciplinary institution, adding the Egyptian and pre-Columbian sections and modernising its displays. In 2024 the municipality launched a major restructuring project — "Museo in Evoluzione" — taking in the museum's permanent and temporary rooms and the Chiostro di San Sebastiano itself, with the stated aim of a renewed museum for the city.