Vercelli is today the small capital of the province, but at the same time the European Capital of Rice. In the middle age it was a powerful city-state, which hosted one of the early few universities in Europe. Now, together with Alessandria and Novara, Vercelli is the site of the University of East Piedmont named after Amedeo Avogadro. It is worth mentioning that Avogadro wrote his fundamental paper leading to the “Avogadro number” while he was high school teacher in Vercelli.
The basilica of Saint Andrea is one of the first and a magnificent example of gothic architecture south of the Alps. The site of the meeting will be near the cloister next to the basilica. During the Renaissance Vercelli was the seat of a renowned painting school headed by Gaudenzio Ferrari. Several of his paintings are exhibited in the local art gallery and other precious works are kept in a number of churches (other even better paintings are in many international art galleries). To discover other works of art or gastronomical surprises you may come to Vercelli yourself or consult the website (in Italian) http://www.vercelli.net/.
