Castle and Park of Valentino in Turin

The Castle and the park of Valentino are situated in the centre of the city near the Po riverside. The origin of the castle is dated back in the XIII century. It was bought by Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy in 1564, under suggestion of Andrea Palladio. But the current appearance of the castle is the consequence of the will of Maria Cristina of France, who wanted a castle which followed in style of the castles built in that period in France (1620). The legend tells that the duchess wanted this castle as place for its love meetings, and that she used to kill her lovers throwing them into a well.
The building is horseshoe shaped with four towers and a central court with a marble pave. The park, that today is a public space, completely surrounds the castle. It is very loved by the Turin city dwellers. During 1884 Universal Exposition there was built a reproduction of a medieval village, which is still there and nowadays is used for temporary exhibitions. The park has been seat for flower shows, among these Flor 1961 of which remains the stone garden and the mountain garden, characterized by little waterfalls, fountains and little rivers. In the park deserve a visit the rococo style fountain, made by Ceppi, also known as “Twelve months fountain”.