Zumaglia
Discover Brich di Zumaglia
Brich di Zumaglia is a beautiful 669-meter-high hill located just a few kilometers east of Biella. This place belongs to the municipalities of Zumaglia and Ronco Biellese, in the province of Biella.
Description of Brich di Zumaglia
The hill is rounded and has a dense vegetation covering it. About 400 meters from Brich is Mont Prevè, which is slightly lower and has a height of 660 meters. The two hills are separated by a wooded saddle at 620 meters. Brich di Zumaglia and Mont Prevè fall within the Quargnasca hydrographic basin, south of Biella, and separately from each other, there are two hilly valleys bathed by the two tributaries of this watercourse, the Chiebbia to the west and the Riasco to the east. The toponym Zumaglia derives from "zumaja," a term in the local Piedmontese language that means "breast," referring to the appearance of the two twin hills seen from afar.
The Castle of Zumaglia
On top of Brich di Zumaglia stands the Castle of Zumaglia, a structure dating back to 1291 and almost completely destroyed in 1556. It was rebuilt only four centuries later, in 1937, by Count Vittorio Buratti. The Castle is used for events, exhibitions, receptions, and cultural initiatives, such as the well-known summer itinerant theater festival organized by the Biella## Teatro company.
The Guard House
The Guard House was originally built to accommodate the caretaker and gardener. Today, however, it has been converted for pottery workshops, literary events, and orchards.
Cascina Alè
Cascina Alè is a farmhouse surrounded by a model garden, an orchard, and a vineyard planted to produce the typical Alé wine. The manager's intention is to rediscover the usefulness of the farmhouse by creating a garden, orchard, small product tasting, and hospitality for travelers.
Flora
The Castle of Zumaglia is surrounded by a park in which rare or exotic tree species are still present, even of considerable size. The dense chestnut woods that cover Mont Prevè are instead typical of the Biellese hill.
Hiking
Brich di Zumaglia is crossed by the Grande Traversata del Biellese (GtB), a long hiking trail that travels at medium-low altitudes throughout the province of Biella. In the park, you can hike through forest trails and cobblestone roads for a total of about 4000 meters.
Notes
Cartography
The map of the trails in the province of Biella 1:25,000, published in 2004 by the Province of Biella, is available online. In addition, the official Italian cartography of the Military Geographic Institute (IGM) on a scale of 1:25,000 and 1:100,000 can be accessed on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Land and Sea Protection.
Related Voices
The Baragge Oriented Nature Reserve and the Castle of Zumaglia are other interesting tourist attractions in the area.
External links
For more information, visit the website of the Piedmont Regional Park "Sassi di Rocca Malamot" or the website of Manifacture 60 O.d.V. to access the management of the equipped area of Brich di Zumaglia and Mont Prève.
