Hotel Torino - Turin Hotels
Turin green city: discover its parks, gardens and hills

Valentino (Rock Garden, Botanical Garden)
Between the Re Umberto I and Isabella bridges, there is the large and beautiful Parco del Valentino. It extends across 550,000 m2 and was designed by Barillet-Deschamps in the mid-nineteenth century. As you stroll through the park, you will notice the city’s historic rowing clubs as well as attractive bars and restaurants along the riverside.
There is also the Botanical Garden which dates back to 1729. Its 27,000 m2  include an orange grove, a greenhouse and a museum-herbarium which was created in the 1920s. Today it houses 4,000 plant species, of both local and exotic origins. Once past the castle and the Torino Esposizioni building, you can relax for a while in the beautiful Rock Garden, created in 1961 to host a big floral exhibition as part of the Italian Unity Centenary celebrations. After a look around the medieval village, built for the General Exposition in 1884 by D’Andrade and the poet Giacosa  (it is a perfect copy of Piedmontese medieval architecture), the park draws to an end at the majestic “Fontana Liberty dei Mesi”, designed by Carlo Ceppi in 1898.

Pellerina
With its 900,000 m3, the Pellerina, whose construction dates back to the 1930s, is Turin’s largest park. It is home to football pitches, tennis courts, outdoor swimming pools, and roller-skating rinks. The park boasts an impressive number of trees, about 600 in all including some rare specimens like the imposing incense-cedar.

Parco Ruffini
The Park, completed in the 1920 and renovated in 1937, covers an area of around 17 hectares and is home to a number of rare plants.The vast green area (18,000 m2) set aside next to the pedestrian square is a reconstruction especially for the forthcoming Winter Olympic Games. The area will feature a large canal, which will stretch for 180 metres to the “Maratona” tower, and extensive greenery where existing trees will be rearranged and new ones planted.
When the Olympics are over, the area will become the permanent home of the Olympic brazier.

Parco Michelotti
It starts just a short walk from Piazza Vittorio; At night you can listen to music and have a drink in one of its several bars, while during the day you can enjoy a pleasant stroll.

Parco della Colletta e Riserva del Meisino (Park and Nature Riserve)
Situated at the confluence of the Po, Dora Riparia and Stura Rivers is a paradise of peace and tranquillity. It was originally intended for the Royal House before the French siege. Doveva essere un parco per la casa reale prima dell’assedio dei francesi.

The Royal Gardens
The Gardens were created in the 17th century by André Le Nôtre, who was also responsible for Versailles. In 1869, its 123,000 m2  housed a zoo and a football field. Now, one can admire the numerous rose bushes, which fill the gardens with fragrance and colour during the spring, a beautiful monumental fountain of the Triton and the Sea-Nymphs, produced in 1750 by Simone Martinez, and numerous other nineteenth-century statues.s.

Colle della Maddalena - Parco della Rimembranza (Park of Remembrance)
the Torinese hills) is the Park of Remembrance (Parco della Rimembranza), inaugurated in 1925 in memory of the Torinese soldiers who fell during the first world war. In 1928, the Victory Statue by Rubino was positioned there.
Currently the park exceeds 90 hectares and is home to over 21,000 trees, and 45 km of roads and footpaths. The original nucleus of the park houses over 400 different botanical species (5,000 trees) planted in memory of the soldiers who gave their lives in the war. Furthermore, the park’s hilltop location offers magnificent views across the city as far as the Alps.

The Superga Nature Park
The park was founded in 1991. It extends across about 740 hectares through the territories of Pino Torinese, Baldissero, Turin and San Mauro. The park contains heterogeneous vegetation which makes it a highly fascinating botanical microcosm. The climatic conditions are markedly different on either side of the Torinese hills; the northern slopes being cooler and featuring species of alpine origins (Scots pine, beech, mountain ash, golden chain, blueberry, rhododendron, cornflower), the southern slopes having greater exposure to the sun, being warmer and thus ideal for agricultural use. They feature plant-life of Mediterranean origin such as flowering-ash, domestic sorb, live oak, butcher’s broom, genista, asphodel, bluebell). There are numerous rare and protected species such as common bluebells, the stinking iris, gladiola, a variety of orchids and burning bush. The animal life in the park is just as important, and includes foxes and many other wild mammals. A choice of footpaths, starting at the top of the hill near the Superga Basilica, lead you along different routes through the park.

La Mandria Regional Park
The park is a protected area (16 km from Turin) where several wild and domestic animal species live. It was founded in 1978 and extends across 6541 hectares, of which 1760 are owned by the Regional Authority of Piedmont. The “Villa dei Laghi” area was subsequently annexed to the park in 1995 following its acquisition by the Regional Authority.
The park also conserves considerable architectural heritage which is also owned by the Regional Authority, and consists of over 20 protected buildings: the Borgo Castello complex, ancient villas, farmhouses, hunting lodges and the remains of a medieval shelter.
The Parco La Mandria has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
www.parcomandria.it