Burcina Park is a historic garden located on the hill of the same name, ‘Brik Burcina’, a gentle hill close to the Biella Alps.

The origins of Burcina Park date back to the mid-1800s when Giovanni Piacenza (1811-1883) began purchasing various plots of land on the lower slopes facing south and west of the hill, planting them with redwoods (by the lake), Atlas cedars (upstream from the estate), Strobus pines and other trees.

His son Felice (1843-1938) worked day after day for almost 50 years to acquire new land, lay out roads and paths, plant trees and create the spectacular rhododendron valley that enchants visitors in mid-May. It is quite surprising that Felice, an industrialist, did not employ architects to design the landscape, but was himself the architect. As a result, in addition to the botanical aspect, the landscape design is particularly noteworthy: a romantic lake, meadows surrounded by woods as in the Valfenera area, the beech forest of Pian Plà, the avenue of tulip trees, the rhododendron valley, the Mediterranean area, and views of the mountains and plains stretching from Monviso to Adamello.

Felice’s son, Enzo (1892-1968), donated the new entrance designed by Florentine landscape architect Pietro Porcinai in 1950, in accordance with his father’s wishes. During his last 15 years, he invited the most famous European botanists to the park. A few months before his death, he replanted various areas of the park that had been destroyed by the terrible föhn wind that hit the area in February 1967.

In 1934, the park became the property of the Municipality of Biella, which expanded its area to the current 57 hectares. In 1980, Regional Law No. 29 established the Burcina “Felice Piacenza” Nature Reserve.