Discover Porta Palazzo, the largest outdoor market in Europe, a crossroads of cultures, scents, and flavors from around the world. And the Balôn, the realm of collectors and lovers of second-hand goods, where every item is a discovery.
A few minutes’ walk from Piazza Castello, in Piazza della Repubblica, known as Porta Palazzo to locals, lies Turin’s largest market, one of the largest in Europe, the most frequented by locals, the cheapest, and the most multicultural. A spectacle that repeats itself every day from Monday to Saturday from the early hours of the morning, when the first stalls appear, until late at night when Piazza della Repubblica is cleaned of market leftovers and debris.
The history of Porta Palazzo market
In 1729, court architect Filippo Juvarra designed a rectangular parade ground known as Piazza Vittoria, bordered on one side by Porta Palazzo, one of the city’s historic gates. However, during Napoleon’s occupation in the 19th century, the walls were dismantled and the gate demolished, leaving only its name as a testament to the past. Later, the square’s design took on its current octagonal shape.
The Porta Palazzo market in Turin was established in 1835, the year when the first canopies for selling food products were built, followed by large icehouses for preserving goods.
Porta Palazzo, also known as Porta Pila, has always welcomed newcomers to the city: at the end of the 19th century, farmers arrived here from Piedmont’s countryside; in the 1960s, migrants came from southern Italy and Veneto; and in recent decades people have come from North Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, and Asia.
The market today is divided into four areas, each with its own specialization.
Discover the Ancient Tettoia dell’Orologio Market
The first quadrant at the top right hosts the covered market made of glass and cast iron, reminiscent of old Parisian canopies described by Émile Zola in “The Belly of Paris.” You can recognize it by the old clock outside and the neon sign “Love differences” by Michelangelo Pistoletto. Once you pass through the swinging doors, you’ll find food stands filled with cheeses, cold cuts, meat, bread, fresh pasta, olives—a labyrinth of Italian regional and international specialties of all kinds. Some stands also offer ready-to-eat meals or take-away options.
Also in this quadrant, under the canopies, you’ll find the farmers’ market, offering a wide range of fresh agricultural products like fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and cold cuts—all sourced from local farms.
Opposite the farmers’ canopy is Pescheria Gallina, one of the most renowned fishmongers in town. In addition to selling fresh fish delivered daily from Liguria, they also cook it. Arrive early as it’s very popular and often crowded.
Further along, at the household goods market, you’ll find every tool useful for home needs.
The Fruit and Vegetable Market
In the bottom-right sector lies the classic market for agricultural products: stalls with red-and-white striped covers stacked with pyramids of fruits and vegetables (prices are the cheapest in Turin but sometimes hide surprises…), cheeses, olives, and cold cuts. Between stalls, you’ll find improvised vendors selling mint and Arabic bread. In the covered area is the fish market.
In the corners of the market, you can find various fry shops for a take-away snack.
The Clothing Market
The bottom-left quadrant offers a wide range of affordable clothing, sunglasses, suitcases, pajamas, football and basketball team jerseys.
The Central Market
The last area features Palafuksas, a modern glass building designed by a Roman architect that sparked much controversy. Inside is the Central Market, offering numerous dining options. Don’t miss the “maritozzi” at the bakery near the entrance.
Borgo Dora and the Balôn
Adjacent to Porta Palazzo is Borgo Dora, a neighborhood named after the Dora River. Walking along Via Mameli and then Via Borgo Dora will lead you to the river while crossing through one of Europe’s most beautiful flea markets. Here was Turin’s first industrial settlement with tanneries, grain mills, and later the “Royal Powder Magazine,” better known as “Arsenal,” now transformed into Sermig’s Arsenal of Peace. The curved layout of Via Borgo Dora—unusual for Turin—is a remnant of the “Molassi Canal,” which flowed through this area until 1962 to power city mills.
Borgo Dora and the Balôn
Attached to Porta Palazzo is Borgo Dora, a neighborhood named after the Dora River. Walking along Via Mameli and then Via Borgo Dora will lead you to the river, crossing through one of Europe’s most beautiful flea markets.
This area was home to Turin’s first industrial settlement, with tanneries, grain mills, and later the “Royal Powder Magazine,” better known as the “Arsenal,” now transformed into Sermig’s Arsenal of Peace. The curved layout of Via Borgo Dora—unusual for Turin—is the last trace of the “Molassi Canal,” which flowed through this area until 1962 to power city mills.
Every Saturday, Borgo Dora hosts the Balôn, and every second Sunday of the month, the Grand Balôn (its larger version): Turin’s historic flea market (established in 1857). It is a destination for collectors, tourists, and locals looking for bargains among the stalls and antique shops. Here you’ll find all sorts of furniture, ornaments, vintage items, second-hand clothes, vinyl records, used books, and vintage magazines—a gigantic and marvelous wunderkammer not to be missed.
Edmondo De Amicis wrote:
“From the bottom of the square, descending a staircase, you come to a wide curved street that leads towards the Dora River. In front of you is another curious spectacle. The street is entirely one enormous second-hand store in the open air—a grand and poignant display of misery that can only be imagined by supposing that an entire district of Turin, seized by a frenzy of destruction, has thrown out of its windows all the furnishings from its houses, from attics to cellars, down to the last knick-knack from the last wardrobe. And everything is orderly, clean, displayed with scrupulous care as if it were the rarest merchandise. Beside each of the hundred second-hand stalls that form this endless bazaar of rags and scraps sits a meditative vendor leaning on their cart in a philosophical pose, eyes fixed on the ruins that provide their livelihood.”
The Balôn was also featured in Fruttero and Lucentini’s novel “La donna della domenica” and Luigi Comencini’s film where Marcello Mastroianni and Jacqueline Bisset wander through the market stalls exclaiming: “It’s much better than Portobello Road!”
Continuing towards the Dora River, the stalls extend into Cortile del Maglio, a square covered with a central old forging machine. Surrounding it are workshops and creative studios. Further ahead are the Holden School and Sermig’s Arsenal of Peace in what was once a military arsenal. The humanitarian vocation of this area is also evident in the nearby “Cottolengo,” a historic refuge for marginalized individuals and patients.
In Borgo Dora, you’ll also find many trattorias and wineries preserving ancient traditions as well as spots for an aperitif; alongside these typical flavors are new global tastes offered by various Maghreb restaurants.
The most loved at Porta Palazzo and at Balôn
TO eat
Lunch at Gallina, the most renowned fishmonger in Porta Palazzo, which is also a restaurant. Or the takeaway cuoppi filled with fried fish from Pescato del Mare, in the covered area closest to the center.
TO drink
Don’t miss a stop at Damarco, a historic wine shop packed with wines and spirits. Worth a visit just for the windows full of hand-written labels.
TO shop
A Saturday (or second Sunday of the month) stroll through Balôn, the flea market, in search of curiosities, second-hand clothes and objects from times gone by. Stop by Ceni in Piazza della Repubblica to admire the windows full of legumes.