Bessa Natural Reserve

The reserve stretches across 750 hectares through Borriana, Cerrione, Mongrando, and Zubiena municipalities, featuring a landscape of pebbles and long valleys called bunde.

Between 143 and 140 BCE, Roman legions led by Appius Claudius Pulcher conquered the territory from the Salassi tribe and established extensive gold mining operations.

The Visitor Center in Vermogno houses the Gold Ecomuseum, presenting exhibitions about the mining history and geological formation of the reserve's deposits.

The reserve maintains designated picnic zones with parking facilities, accessible through State Road 143 from the Santhià exit of the A4 Turin-Milan motorway.

Ancient mining activities left distinctive traces visible in numerous stone piles scattered across the reserve, creating an extraordinary lunar-like terrain surface.

Location: Province of Biella

Inception: 1985

GPS coordinates: 45.48500,8.03722

Latest update: March 7, 2025 12:05