La Zizzola

La Zizzola is an octagonal tower-house with a small turret, crowning the hill above Bra. Built in 1840 as a private pleasure villa and given to the city in 1962, it became the Casa dei Braidesi, a multimedia museum about the people of Bra, surrounded by a park.

Why it matters

La Zizzola is an emblem of Bra, described by the municipal portal as the city's symbol. Its octagonal form, two floors and crowning turret distinguish it among the hilltop buildings of the Langhe-Roero. The Casa dei Braidesi — "house of the people of Bra" — uses sound, film and furnishings to interpret the community across generations.

What to notice

The octagonal geometry gives the building a distinct profile on Monteguglielmo, the highest of Bra's hills. Its multimedia installation uses furnished rooms, listening stations with recorded interviews and short documentary projections to evoke domestic life and local memory. The contrast between the exterior and sound-filled interior links the historic structure with the contemporary interpretation.

Context and history

The building went up in 1840 as a "villa delle delizie" — a villa of delights — a private pleasure retreat on the town's highest hill, at a time when such panoramic follies dotted the Piedmontese countryside. Its scale and position soon made it the recognisable sign of Bra from afar. In 1962 the owners donated it to the Municipality, fixing its role as public property and civic symbol. The museum interpretation was developed by the Municipality of Bra with support from the Piedmont Region, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bra and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. It forms part of the Musei di Bra network, alongside the Craveri Museum, Palazzo Traversa and the Toy Museum.