Upper Piedmont: A Treasure of Craft Creativity

Upper Piedmont is a forge of creativity and artisanal expertise, where nature itself provides the precious materials that have fueled centuries-old traditions. Here, stone, wood, and wool have always been at the heart of activities handed down from generation to generation, shaping a craft heritage of remarkable value. Each area boasts its own specialties, although some materials and techniques are shared across the entire region.

Among its priceless excellences, the woodcraft of the Strona Valley stands out, renowned for the iconic “Pinocchi” but also for a wide range of products, still partly created using the ancient art of hand-turning. No less significant are the stones of Ossola, custodians of a stonemasonry tradition that today finds new expressions in innovative projects such as Pietre Trovanti, which transforms waste materials into unique design objects.

Textile traditions, in addition to the famous industrial brands of Valsesia and Biella, also thrive in the creation of traditional objects and costumes. From the scapìn of Valsesia to the pedù of the Cannobina Valley, and the vigezzine of the Vigezzo Valley, these footwear are still handmade today by the last skilled craftswomen. Likewise, a few seamstresses preserve the art of making traditional valley costumes. In the hands of the Valsesian puncettaie masters also lives on the art of puncetto, a unique and precious lace passed down from mother to daughter.

There is no shortage of even more distinctive specialties, adding originality to the area’s cultural fabric: from the umbrella makers of Upper Vergante—whose legacy is preserved at the Umbrella and Parasol Museum in Gignese—to the chimney sweeps, guardians of history and local identity, celebrated each year with the great International Gathering in Santa Maria Maggiore, in the Vigezzo Valley, also home to the Chimney Sweep Museum. From the production of musical instruments—saxophones from Quarna, accordions from Vercelli, guitars crafted by master luthiers—to carillons.

And then there are baskets, bells, hats, jewelry, and perfumes which, from the mountain valleys to the plains, tell the story of a land and its people: a people who have combined ingenuity and industriousness, transforming tradition into the future.