The baragge of Piedmont are stretches of meadow and heath, dotted with single trees and wooded valleys. The simplicity and balanced composition of the landscape strike you immediately. It looks boundless, seems to stretch out for ever; it looks like a savannah.
These environments lie on the high plains of Biella, Vercelli and Novara, on plateaus between 150 m and 350 m above sea level.
The geology under the baragge was eroded and dismantled by rivers cutting through ancient plains, in a similar way to the Grand Canyon in America.
The great deltaic and marine deposits along the valleys cut by the rivers are another point of interest, hosting many fossils. These bear witness to the great bay that covered the whole area from around 5.2 million to 1.8 million years ago.
The baragge offer spectacular views in summer and autumn. The resplendent gold of the wide-reaching grass is stained with rich browns and pink splashes of heather. Evocative and perfectly wed to the landscape, yet ever diminishing, are the passing herds of sheep on the baragge.
The area is protected and managed by Ente di Gestione delle Riserve Pedemontane e delle Terre d'Acqua, based in Cerrione.
For a day out, the baragge offer a dense network of easy paths and tracks with few gradients.
A visit to the most famous of the baragge in the Biella area, between Candelo and Cossato, offers a chance to see the splendid ricetto in the first town. It is a fortified nucleus of buildings from the late Middle Ages.
Our easy route is in this area. Anyone can do it as long as, given its length, they have a minimal level of fitness and a bike – ideally an MTB – that's good on paths and tracks.
Start in Biella, undisputed capital of textiles, in the car park by the railway station in Piazza San Paolo, before going along Via Candelo, which leads to the marvellous ricetto, a member of borghi più belli d'Italia, Italy's most beautiful villages.
If you decide to visit it, we recommend you chain your bike up at the gate so you can get around more easily once you're inside, although you are allowed to push your bike in.
The ricetto of Candelo was the set for the Rai TV series La Freccia Nera (The Black Arrow) in 1968, starring Arnoldo Foà and Loretta Goggi, in her debut. This was remade as a film in 2006. The old town was used for another TV series, a parody of The Betrothed with the comic trio Lopez, Marchesini and Solenghi. In 2004 the medieval streets were also the backdrop to a Rai series on Virginia, the nun of Monza, starring Giovanna Mezzogiorno in the title role. In 2011 it was the film set for Dracula 3D by Dario Argento.
After stopping, take the cycle path round the old walls of the ricetto, following the track along Roggia Marchesa, a canal. You'll come to a turning point, where you need to go right onto Strada al Maglioleo. Cross Via del Cervo and go left onto the path along the river Cervo. The tarmac road then becomes a dirt one. Follow it up to the right onto Strada dei Mulini, still a dirt road. Follow the track to arrive on Via Isangarda and take it to Parco dei Silenziosi, where the route 'MTB Track Baraggia Candelo' begins. It runs for about 14 km through the Baragge nature reserve until the SP 230, which in turn leads after about 1 km to Massazza.
After a visit to the medieval castle, Rocca dei Cavallari, with the adjoining oratory of Sant'Antonino and Sant’Anna, and the parish church of the Assunta. Go on for another 10 km through the second part of the Baragge nature reserve, along Strada Vicinale della Costa, then past the Candelo and Massazza firing range to the reserve car park, following the GPX track and pedalling through the 'steppe' of the baragge until Via dei Campi, still a track. You will then come to the church of San Lorenzo in Candelo. The way back is over 5 km of town streets, from Candelo to the railway station in Biella.