{"id":5968,"date":"2025-03-27T06:12:35","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T05:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tolove.it\/blog\/?page_id=5968"},"modified":"2025-04-07T20:59:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T19:59:38","slug":"porta-palazzo-market-and-balon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tolove.it\/blog\/index.php\/porta-palazzo-market-and-balon\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do at Porta Palazzo Market and Bal\u00f4n"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Discover Porta Palazzo<\/strong>, the largest outdoor market in Europe, a crossroads of cultures, scents, and flavors from around the world. And the Bal\u00f4n<\/strong>, the realm of collectors and lovers of second-hand goods, where every item is a discovery.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A few minutes’ walk from Piazza Castello, in Piazza della Repubblica, known as Porta Palazzo to locals<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Fruit<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The history of Porta Palazzo market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stalls<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Porta Palazzo market in Turin was established in 1835<\/strong>, the year when the first canopies for selling food products were built, followed by large icehouses for preserving goods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porta Palazzo<\/strong>, also known as Porta Pila<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The market today is divided into four areas<\/strong>, each with its own specialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Damarco<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Porta<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Discover the Ancient Tettoia dell\u2019Orologio Market<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first quadrant at the top right hosts the covered market made of glass and cast iron, reminiscent of old Parisian canopies described by \u00c9mile Zola in “The Belly of Paris.” You can recognize it by the old clock<\/strong> outside and the neon sign “Love differences<\/em>” by Michelangelo Pistoletto<\/strong>. Once you pass through the swinging doors, you’ll find food stands filled with cheeses, cold cuts, meat, bread, fresh pasta, olives\u2014a labyrinth of Italian regional and international specialties of all kinds. Some stands also offer ready-to-eat meals or take-away options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Food<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Candies<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also in this quadrant, under the canopies, you\u2019ll find the farmers\u2019 market<\/strong>, offering a wide range of fresh agricultural products like fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and cold cuts\u2014all sourced from local farms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Farmers'<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Opposite the farmers\u2019 canopy is Pescheria Gallina<\/strong>, 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\u2019s very popular and often crowded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further along, at the household goods market<\/strong>, you\u2019ll find every tool useful for home needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fruit and Vegetable Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the bottom-right sector lies the classic market for agricultural products<\/strong>: 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\u2019ll find improvised vendors selling mint and Arabic bread. In the covered area is the fish market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the corners of the market, you can find various fry shops for a take-away snack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Bancarelle<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Friggitoria<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Clothing Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The bottom-left quadrant offers a wide range of affordable clothing, sunglasses, suitcases, pajamas, football and basketball team jerseys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Central Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The last area features Palafuksas<\/strong>, a modern glass building designed by a Roman architect that sparked much controversy. Inside is the Central Market<\/strong>, offering numerous dining options. Don\u2019t miss the “maritozzi” at the bakery near the entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Palafuksas<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Borgo Dora and the Bal\u00f4n<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjacent to Porta Palazzo is Borgo Dora<\/strong>, 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\u2019s most beautiful flea markets<\/strong>. Here was Turin\u2019s first industrial settlement with tanneries, grain mills, and later the “Royal Powder Magazine,” better known as “Arsenal,” now transformed into Sermig\u2019s Arsenal of Peace. The curved layout of Via Borgo Dora\u2014unusual for Turin\u2014is a remnant of the “Molassi Canal,” which flowed through this area until 1962 to power city mills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"via<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Borgo Dora and the Bal\u00f4n<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Attached to Porta Palazzo is Borgo Dora<\/strong>, 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\u2019s most beautiful flea markets<\/strong>.

This area was home to Turin\u2019s first industrial settlement, with tanneries, grain mills, and later the “Royal Powder Magazine,” better known as the “Arsenal,” now transformed into Sermig\u2019s Arsenal of Peace. The curved layout of Via Borgo Dora\u2014unusual for Turin\u2014is the last trace of the “Molassi Canal,” which flowed through this area until 1962 to power city mills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Balon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Balon<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every Saturday, Borgo Dora hosts the Bal\u00f4n<\/strong><\/em><\/strong>, and every second Sunday of the month<\/strong>, the Grand Bal\u00f4n<\/strong> (its larger version)<\/em>: Turin\u2019s 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\u2019ll find all sorts of furniture, ornaments, vintage items, second-hand clothes<\/a>, vinyl records, used books, and vintage magazines\u2014a gigantic and marvelous wunderkammer<\/em> not to be missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edmondo De Amicis wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“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\u2014a 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.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\"Used<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Modernism<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Bal\u00f4n was also featured in Fruttero and Lucentini\u2019s novel “La donna della domenica” and Luigi Comencini\u2019s film where Marcello Mastroianni and Jacqueline Bisset wander through the market stalls exclaiming: “It’s much better than Portobello Road!”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Cortile<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Holden<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Borgo Dora, you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Trattorias<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Arab<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The most loved at Porta Palazzo and at Bal\u00f4n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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TO eat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TO drink<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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TO shop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A Saturday (or second Sunday of the month) stroll through Bal\u00f4n, 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Porta Palazzo and Borgo Dora map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n