The medieval village in Turin

A stone’s throw from Turin exhibitions, at the bottom of the rock garden, stands the medieval village, on the left bank of Po river.

The town is, in fact, part of the famous Valentino Park, one of the most important green areas of the city.

The medieval village is admired in its entirety passing on the opposite bank of the river, at the foot of the hill.

Background.

The medieval village of Turin, wrongly called by many Valentino’s castle, because this is another structure, is, actually, a reconstruction inspired to other castles of Piedmontese and Aosta Valley areas, built between 1882 and 1884 in occasion of Italian General exposure which took place between April and November 1884.

The town was made by the hand of several architects, coordinated by the Portuguese architect Alfredo d’Andrade.

After the exposure its destiny was to be demolished but it was decided to let it live and use it as an object of study for students of architecture of the University of Turin considering the difficulty, at the time, to move to study the architecture of the various castles .

So, at one time, students could study the courtyard of the castle of Fenis, the fountain of pomegranate of Issogne, the defensive line of Verres castle and many other facilities. Since 1942 it has been elevated to the rank of museum.

Things to see.

Inside the village, everywhere we turn, there is a detail to admire but one of the highlights is the pomegranate fountain, in the courtyard. Even today you can admire the old shops of the print house, the carpenter, the potter, the weaver, the blacksmith.

Guided tours will take us inside the castle where you can see the prisons and the various living rooms faithfully reconstructed.

Leaving the village, we can make a stop at the small church, reconstruction of the church inside the castle of Avigliana, before crossing the drawbridge that leads us beyond the protection moat of the castle.

Turning around the village from the outside, there will be more evident the battlements of the walls and, in autumn, the special atmosphere that can be enjoyed among the reddened colors of the foliage of the trees and that halo of mist that gives an aura of mystery to this structure, unique in its kind.