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The Medieval Village of Turin, in Parco del Valentino along the bank of the Po, is a museum complex that also includes a stronghold and a medieval garden. The main drawbridge leads to arcades, fountains and artisan shops. The visit of the medieval village can be divided into two parts: the first, with free access, involves the lower part of the village, almost at the level of the river, while the second, with an entry ticket to pay, leads to the castle and the garden.

While the free visit to the village has no time limits, only 45 minutes are allowed for the guided tours of the castle.

The garden

Built between 1997 and 2000, the garden is divided into three parts: the Garden of Delights, the noble part annexed to the castle with ornamental plants, and the “Giardino dei Semplici”, with officinal and useful plants, as well as the orchard with fruit trees and vegetables.

All the cultivated plants, as well as the furnishings and the structure of the garden, come from exhaustive and thorough studies of documents, paintings and the main bibliographic and iconographic sources dating back to 1000 and 1500.

The three areas are equipped with signs and information panels for independent visitors, while every year new itineraries are offered to observe different categories of plants (food, cosmetic, exotic ones, etc.)

The garden is managed with natural cultivation techniques and is equipped with a small nursery for the conservation of many of the cultivated species – surplus plants, on the other hand, are sold to the public.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)