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The beautiful city of Turin -
Recommended tours -
Esoteric tours -
Parks in Turin area -
Royal residences -
Canavese castles -
Alps strongholds -
Via Francigena -
contacts
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STROLLING
ALONG RIVER PO  The
itinerary covers a very pleasant route which meanders along the banks of the River
Po.The starting point could be Piazza Gran Madre di Dio (Great Mother of God),
at the centre of which stands the Church of the same name, which presents a neo-classical
architecture, inspired by the Pantheon.
The
religious building was erected between 1818 and 1831 to a design by Ferdinando
Bonsignore, to commemorate the return from exile of the King Victor Emanuel I.
An imposing flight of steps lead up to the church, flanked by the statues of Religion
and Faith. The dome-shaped interior is in grey marble. The crypt houses the Ossuary
of the Fallen of the First World War.
Leaving the piazza, we proceed up the hill, turning into Via Villa della Regina,
at the top of which begins the tree lined avenue leading to the "delitia" (charm
or delight) of the Savoy, that was built, following the wish of Cardinal Maurizio
of Savoy, son of Duke Charles Emanuel I, as a meeting place for artists and intellectuals
for leisure and amusement. The initial extension and restoration work of the building,
which was originally bought by the Cardinal, go back to 1615. In 1692, the villa
passed to Queen Anne of Orléans, wife of King Victor Amadeus II: the recovery
of this extraordinary complex, of a mansion and park, is in progress, in view
of it being opened to the public. Going
along Corso Giovanni Lanza brings us to the Mount of the Capuccini on  which
the Church of Santa Maria del Monte (St. Mary of the Mount) stands (Via Giardino,
35). It was originally designed by Ascanio Vitozzi, and consecrated in 1656. A
breathtaking panoramic view of the city can be seen from the square in front of
the church. Next to the church is the Museo Nazionale della Montagna "Duca degli
Abruzzi" , which contains extensive documentation on the naturalistic - environmental
aspects of the mountains, the traditions and mountaineering. Returning to Corso
Giovanni Lanza, at number 57, we find the beautiful Villa Scott, the work of Pietro
Fenoglio (1902): hidden among the trees, the villa is one of the best examples
of Turin "art nouveau".
Going down the Corso, and turning right, we come upon the small Piazzetta Crimea
with its commemorative monument to the Expeditionary Force to the Crimea, in 1855;
around it is the Crimea residential area, with its elegant buildings. Continuing
along Corso Fiume, we cross the Umberto I Bridge, built between 1903 and 1907,
and decorated with four bronze sculptural works.
Over the bridge begins Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, an important central artery
road, dedicated to the first King of Italy. Instead of going in the direction
of the station, we will turn left into Corso Massimo d'Azeglio, flanking Valentino
Park, which runs along the left bank of the River Po, between the Umberto I Bridge
and the Isabella Bridge. The park covers an area of half a million square metres,
in which stands Valentino Castle and the Medieval Village. The first plan of the
Valentino Castle, which now houses the Faculty of Architecture, dates back to
the days of the Duke of Savoy Emanuele Filiberto.  The
first "Madama Reale" (Royal Lady), Maria Cristina of France, had the riverside
residence extended and embellished, so as to become a "theatre" of tournaments,
carousels and sumptuous feasts. The French taste for the inclined pitched roofs
is well expressed through the works of Carlo and Amedeo di Castellamonte (1620-1660).
From the road, the present entrance opens onto a large courtyard, contained between
two lower wings; the central body is characterised by a grand colonnade, and two
stairways lead to the central drawing room on the first floor. The internal rooms
present rich XVII C. decorations with frescoes and stucco work. To the left of
the Castle is the Orto Botanico, while to the right is the building of the Società
Promotrice delle Belle Arti (Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts), which hosts
temporary exhibitions of art. Upon arrival at Torino Esposizioni (Turin Exhibition
Centre), we can go down towards the left bank of the River Po to reach the Borgo
Medioevale. Realised in 1884, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition, it
was devised by a group of artistic and literary people in Turin who, co-ordinated
by the architect Alfredo D'Andrade, revived the lifestyle and atmosphere of a
XV C. Piedmontese village, having been inspired by various medieval monuments
existing in the region.
The Rocca (Fortress), based principally on the castle at Fenis in the Aosta Valley,
is surrounded by a small village composed of artisan shops, houses and little
stores, completely protected by walls, complete with drawbridge, and surrounded
by a moat. The village is open to the public free of charge every day from 9 a.m.
till 7 p.m. (for those wishing to visit the inside of the castle the ticket is
€ 3,00 ). At the end of the park is the Fountain of the 12 Months, designed by
Carlo Ceppi (1898) consisting of a large pond, and a balustrade adorned with statues
in the Liberty style. Returning to Corso Massimo d'Azeglio, we go towards the
area of Italia '61; making a short detour at the crossroads of Corso Dante, the
first FIAT factory and headquarters can be seen, founded in 1899 by Senator Giovanni
Agnelli. Making use of the Corso Massimo d'Azeglio underpass, we arrive at the
so-called "hospitals' area": just beyond it on the right is the Museo Nazionale
dell'Automobile "Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia". The building, which affords a beautiful
view over the river to the hills, was planned by Amedeo Albertini (1960), and
treats the visitor to an exhibition route of 1 kilometre, with over 150 original
motor cars dating from the end of the 1800s up to the present day. Continuing
along Corso Unità d'Italia, on the right there is Palazzo a Vela which, along
with Palazzo del Lavoro, constitute a group of buildings of great dimensions,
built at the end of the 1950s to celebrate the first centenary of National Unity
(1961). Palazzo Vela, designed by the architects Annibale and Giorgio Rigotti,
has an aerodynamic framework, resting on three supports, which covers a surface
area of 15,000 square metres; it gets its name "Vela" (Sail) from the unusual
conformation of the roof. Palazzo del Lavoro is an immense building by Pier Luigi
and Antonio Nervi, who made the column as the fundamental architectural element,
for the support of the entire structure, in a parallelepiped shape. The sixteen
cement columns, 26 metres in height, support the entire roof, enclosing 650,000
cubic metres of space. Nowadays, the building is used for shows and exhibitions.
The itinerary can now proceed in two different directions: Moncalieri or Stupinigi.
In either case, the respective Savoy Residences can be visited. 
get our "Turin
Manual"
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