Parco del Valentino (also known as Valentino Park) is a popular public park in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is located along the west bank of the

Po river The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...

. It covers an area of 500,000m², which makes it Turin's second largest park (Turin's largest park, the 840,000m² Pellerina Park, is Italy's most extended urban green area). This park has been nominated “The best Italian park” after a selection among the fifteen best Italian parks.

History

The Parco del Valentino was opened by the city of Turin in 1856, and was Italy’s first public garden. It hosted the Eurovision Village during the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and h ...

Racing circuit

Between 1935 and 1955 an occasional series of

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

events were held on the roads within the park, including the

1946 Turin Grand Prix The 1946 Turin Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Valentino Park on 1 September 1946. It is claimed to be the first ever Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for op ...

, which was the first

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

race, and the 1948 Italian Grand Prix. These races were generally known as the ''Gran Premio del Valentino''.

Park contents

Buildings within the park include: *The Botanical Gardens *The Baroque Castle (

Castello del Valentino The Valentino Castle ( it, Castello del Valentino) is a historic building in the northwestern Italian city of Turin. It is located in Parco del Valentino, and is the seat of the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin. It is on ...

) *Medieval Castle and Village *The

Torino Esposizioni Torino Esposizioni is an exhibition hall and convention centre in Turin, Italy which was primarily completed in 1948, designed by Pier Luigi Nervi. The building is made with primarily ''ferrocemento'' and glass. Ferrocemento is a form of concrete ...

and Underground Pavilion Complex *Società Promotrice delle Belle Arti *Villa Glicini *

Enzo Ferrari Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; 20 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italians, Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari ...

's special bench

Gallery

File:Borgo medievale TO.jpg, The

Borgo Medioevale The Borgo Medioevale in Turin, Italy, is an Open-air museum, open air museum and reconstructed medieval village and castle. It is located in the Parco del Valentino (Valentino Park) on the riverbank of the Po river. It was built for the 1884 Itali ...

in Valentino Park. File:Statua cesare battisti valentino.jpg, Statue of Cesare Battisti in Valentino Park. File:Flor 61-rid.3.gif, Suggestive view of the lighting of a rock garden of

Valentino Park Parco del Valentino (also known as Valentino Park) is a popular public park in Turin, Italy. It is located along the west bank of the Po river. It covers an area of 500,000m², which makes it Turin's second largest park (Turin's largest park, the ...

, created by Guido Chiarelli for

Expo 61 Expo 61 was the international labour exhibition held in 1961 in the Italian City of Turin. It was the 15th specialized exposition recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Italy used the opportunity to expand the event with an ...

File:Valentino castle.jpg, The

File:Torino Arco monumentale all'Arma di Artigleria 2.jpg, Arco del Valentino File:Torino Fontana dei 12 Mesi 09.jpg, Fontana dei 12 mesi (Fountain of the months)

References

{{Authority control Parks in Piedmont Italian Grand Prix Valentino Motorsport venues in Italy Geography of Turin Tourist attractions in Turin World's fair sites in Italy Cross country running venues