Turin

Discovering plant species from alpine to South African flora A garden where you can learn about plants, their forms, uses and origins in a well-tended, welcoming area covering more than 2,000 square meters. Turin’s Botanical Gardens, in the Parco del Valentino, is the perfect place to take a walk in the central avenue with its monumental trees, as well as the flowerbeds bursting with a variety of plant species and medicinal and dyeing plants. If you love the natural environment in the mountains the Alpineto is a must. It is immersed in siliceous and limestone rocks providing a natural habitat for alpine flora. From the high-mountain environment, you can move on to the four greenhouses. One has the quartz fields environment in South Africa, and the second is ideal for succulent plants with about 350 species belonging to approximately 20 different families, including Cactaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Crassulaceae, Aizoacee, Agavacee. The third is the tropical greenhouse, where you can admire various Orchidaceae and lastly there’s one dedicated to propagation, with a collection of cold greenhouse orchids. In the back of the Gardens, there is the Boschetto with different paths to follow, such as that of the indigenous woodland of the Po Valley and a pond with numerous aquatic and marsh species.

One of the most beautiful castles in Italy Surrounded by greenery in one of the oldest parks in Turin, on the banks of the Po, it is one of the most beautiful late medieval castles in Italy, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was purchased by Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy in 1564 as a river residence and reached its splendor in the 1700s with Christine of France who transformed the villa into a castle according to the French model with the two towers facing the river; she also expanded the territory and the structure and made it a palace for entertainment. In the nineteenth century it ceased to be a court residence and hosted several schools, research institutions and the Universal Exposition, until it became the university seat of the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic of Turin. The internal rooms, including those of the main floor with the seventeenth-century frescoes, the hall of columns with the six sturdy columns in breccia marble and the chapel on the ground floor can be visited for free (by reservation only).

A trail between art and spirituality A trail that winds through art and landscapes at the discovery of churches, chapels, small villages and farmhouses scattered among the hills of Turin. A route that follows the itinerary of Don Bosco’s childhood, training and education, and that today echoes with spirituality. It starts from the Basilica of Maria Ausiliatrice (a symbolic location for the Salesian order, where San Giovanni Bosco is buried) and continues up to Colle Don Bosco (Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Asti). It is not difficult and, therefore, it lends itself to various types of itineraries: from a one-day walk to the most demanding trekking routes, with walks that are several days long and a possible return to Turin along a loop route. Beyond the sporting and spiritual interest, walking along the Trail gives the opportunity to discover a rich heritage of small and large historical, artistic and gastronomic excellences, including wine and good food, representing an added value to this hilly territory south of Turin.

The elegance of greenery in a charming setting Elegant gardens in the city center, attached to the Royal Palace. This is one of the most charming locations in the city and includes the Ducal Garden, the Garden of Arts and the Grove. A green area of high monumental and environmental value, where you can walk among the geometric avenues, botanical wonders, water features, flower beds, and sculptures. The Duke's Garden is the oldest and at the center is a gushing fountain with granite basin; in the Grove are herbs and shrubs, as well as a permanent installation of Precious Stones by the artist, Giulio Paolini. Designed like the gardens of Versailles by the landscape architect André Le Nôtre, in the Gardens of Arts you will be fascinated by the Fountain of Nereids with Tritons, by the sculptor Simone Martinez. The fountain, in Baroque style, depicts a nymph surrounded by tritons and other aquatic creatures playing with water in a triumph of jets. Inside the Lower Gardens, you will find the Archaeological Museum and the Royal Zoological Garden.

A medieval castle set in Turin’s green haven One of the oldest parks in Turin, along the banks of the river Po, where you can enjoy the fresh air, a stroll outdoors or cycle far from the bustle of the city. The park boasts a remarkable floral and arboreal heritage, with about 1,800 tall trees, and a wealth of bird life with many species of local birds that are well adapted to the river habitat, including herons and mallards. Here you will find more than just nature. Inside the green area there is the Medieval Village created to enhance and promote the ancient historical and cultural traditions of Piedmont as well as the houses, streets and statues including those dedicated to Massimo D'Azeglio and Cesare Battisti, fountains such as the Fontana dei Dodici Mesi with a large Rococo-style fountain pool, and the characteristic Rock Garden with its paved streets, streams and water features. You can stop off at one of the many bars and clubs or take the ferryboat to cruise along the Po. There are also several initiatives, events and entertainment shows held in the park.

A 15th-century feudal village on the banks of the Po Built in Parco del Valentino as an artistic-architectural pavilion during the Italian General Exposition of 1884, this is a reproduction of a 15th-century feudal village on the banks of the Po river. Thanks to the success it achieved, it was not destroyed after the Exposition and it can still be visited today. Inside the walls, past the drawbridge, are buildings decorated in typical Piedmontese and Aosta Valley styles, shops and traditional craft workshops. At the entrance, in the square with the oven, the stone fountain with the date of 1484, the Dronero well in the Avigliana courtyard is the original one from the fifteenth-century village; in the largest square in the village is the fountain of Issogne Castle, in Valle d'Aosta, which represents a pomegranate tree. The village is overlooked by a Rocca in the typical style of castles in the Aosta Valley, and inside, you can see the rooms with furniture, furnishings and fabrics as they would have been seen in 15th-century castles and also suits of armor, weapons and a throne room. After passing the canopy of siege weapons, outside you enter the Garden of Delights, a secret garden with a pergola of vines and roses; the Garden of "simple remedies", cultivated with aromatic herbs used in cooking, medicine and cosmetics, and the Garden where you can find the horticultural species cultivated in medieval times.