Il Valentino, the most romantic park in Turin
The oldest and most romantic park in the city, entirely crossed by tree-lined avenues and cycle paths, the Parco del Valentino offers the possibility of enjoying a pleasant break in the green, on foot or by bicycle; its surface area of 550,000 square meters makes it Turin’s green lung, second only in size to the Parco della Pellerina.
In a splendid position, on the banks of the Po, between the monumental bridges Umberto I and Isabella, it overlooks the Turin hills.
The current urban park was designed in the mid-nineteenth century by the landscape architect Barrilet-Deschamps, but the origins of the park most loved by the Turinese date back to Roman times, when the relics of San Valentino, kept in a chapel, were brought here.
Why is it called Parco del Valentino?
The origin of the name is not at all certain. Some trace it back to San Valentino, the martyr of the third century AD and protector of lovers, whose relics legend has it are found in the church of San Vito, right on the hill in front of the park. Others think of an ancient chapel dedicated to the saint, while some claim it comes from vallantinum, or “small valley” the name by which this area was known.
We can still say, inspired by the name, that the park is rightfully the park for lovers par excellence, as the popular song Piemontesina bella also states: “Remember those evenings spent at Valentino, with the blond student, who squeezed your heart!”
A park so romantic that even the lampposts fall in love…
The bench of the enamored lampposts
The enamored lampposts are sitting on a bench in the Giardino Roccioso, one of the most romantic spots in the Valentino park, with numerous flowerbeds, canals, little bridges and a splendid view of the hill.
One of Turin’s most Instagrammable spots is the result of the creativity and generosity of Rodolfo Marasciuolo, a municipal gardener who decided to make his work a gift for the city, creating in the flowerbeds and gardens of Turin many works made with recycled objects.
For Rodolfo:
“This bench was not born like this, but I had made only one lamppost with two cats at the side, but it seemed a little sad to me so I made a second lamppost and so the two enamored lampposts were born. We are in the Valentino park for the Turinese it is the garden of lovers, and even the lampposts fall in love“.
In the photo on the right, the lamppost when it was “single”
The Fountain of the 12 Months
Another point not to be missed, in addition to the Castello del Valentino and the Borgo Medievale which we will talk about later, is the fountain of the twelve months: a large and scenic oval basin in Rococo style, surrounded by statues depicting the twelve months of the year and the Turin rivers Po, Dora, Sangone, Stura.
It was built on the occasion of the General Exhibition of 1898, by Carlo Ceppi architect and engineer who in Turin designed many works including Porta Nuova and via Pietro Micca.
Castello del Valentino
The building is the work of Carlo and Amedeo di Castellamonte (1630), designed on the pattern of the French pavillon-système. The French roofs of the four towers and the view of the Po, give the Castello del Valentino a fairy-tale charm, which is perfectly suited to a romantic park like the Valentino.
It was much loved by the first Madama Reale Cristina di Francia who organized parties, carousels, tournaments and river battles there.
Closed to the public, it houses the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic of Turin.
Borgo and Rocca Medievale
An imaginary medieval village that reproduces Piedmontese and Valle d’Aosta buildings of the fifteenth century, was built in 1884 for the General Italian and Artistic Exhibition of Turin. The complex of houses and buildings, surrounded by walls and dominated by the castle, constitutes a small world in itself: even the artisan shops located inside contribute to recreating the medieval atmosphere.
Do not miss a visit inside the Rocca, where from the courtyard to the kitchens, from the prisons to the chapel, you are completely immersed in a suggestive glimpse of medieval life. Other points of interest: the drawbridge that allows you to enter the village, the little church and the pomegranate fountain.
The Medieval Village is currently undergoing restoration and will reopen in 2026. While access to the interior is not permitted, visitors can still admire the castle and surrounding walls from the outside.
The Botanical Garden
Next to the Castello del Valentino, towards the center of Turin, is the Botanical Garden of Turin. This green space, founded in 1729, houses an impressive collection of 2,500 plant species from five continents, distributed over an area of approximately 3 hectares. You will find flowerbeds organized to represent the different plant species according to their botanical characteristics, the Alpineto, a rock garden that reproduces the natural mountain environment, the collections of peonies, irises and roses, a greenhouse that houses over 500 species of plants from South Africa, the cactus greenhouse, and the English garden dating back to 1830.
Armida and Cerea: the rowing clubs
In the river Po you often see rowers engaged in training and regattas. On the Valentino riverfront there are two historic Turin rowing clubs.
The Reale Società Canottieri Cerea, founded in 1863, one of the oldest and most prestigious Italian rowing clubs, known for its long tradition and for having contributed to the foundation of the Italian Rowing Federation in 1888. It is located right under the Castello del Valentino in Turin. “Cerea” is a way of greeting in Piedmontese, difficult to translate, which was used by boatmen and rowing enthusiasts when they met on the Po river. The founders of the company decided to adopt it as the name for their club.
The Canottieri Armida, is less known than the Cerea, but it also has a rich history and has participated in important river raids, such as the one carried out together with the Cerea in 1928, when a group of rowers traveled the Po, sailed along the Adriatic and the Ionian, then went up the Tyrrhenian Sea and finally the Tiber to Rome, covering a total distance of 3,600 kilometers in just 55 days.
The Promoter of Fine Arts
The Società Promotrice delle Belle Arti, founded in 1842, is a cultural institution that promotes Turin art and artists through temporary exhibitions. It is based in an elegant Art Nouveau building adjacent to the Castello del Valentino.
The “Imbarchini”
The “imbarchini” in the Parco del Valentino are characteristic premises created from the old landing stages along the Po river, which once served as docking points for boats carrying goods and people. Over time, these landing stages have been converted into recreational spaces, today they have become meeting and recreational places, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy the view of the river and the tranquility of the surrounding park.
Torino Esposizioni
Former Palazzo della Moda in rationalist style designed by Ettore Sottsass senior (1936) and subsequently transformed and expanded with the grandiose vaulted structure by Pier Luigi Nervi, world-renowned engineer and architect also author of the Palazzo del Lavoro and the Palazzetto dello Sport. This space will host the new Civic Library of Turin.
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