Michelangelo Pistoletto's Cittadellarte arts center sustains €2.5 million flood damage in Biella

Storm Alex brought severe weather that led to significant flooding at the Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto arts center in Biella, northern Italy, causing damages estimated at €2.5 million. The center, located in a nineteenth-century former Trombetta wool mill, was founded by Michelangelo Pistoletto in 1998 and experienced a collapsed external wall along with considerable interior damage. Although the main building remains standing, it will stay closed for structural assessments. Just before floodwaters engulfed part of the nearby Accademia Unidee student housing, residents were evacuated. The MACIST museum of modern art, situated on higher ground, closed temporarily but reopened on Sunday for its Omar Ronda retrospective. Storm Alex, which affected southeastern France and northwestern Italy, resulted in two fatalities and up to twenty individuals reported missing. Cittadellarte functions as a collaborative space for artists, scientists, activists, and entrepreneurs, hosting various initiatives focused on sustainable education and heritage preservation near the River Cervo in Piedmont.