Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
astounding 45,000 works in its vaults dedicated to 19th- and 20th-century artists, includ-
ing De Chirico, Otto Dix and Klee. It cleverly hires art experts to reconfigure its perman-
ent displays on a regular basis. You never know what you're going to get.
ART GALLERY
Museo d'Arte Contemporanea
(
www.castellodirivoli.org
; Piazza Mafalda di Savoia; adult/reduced €6.50/4.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, to
7pm Sat & Sun)
Works by Franz Ackermann, Gilbert and George, and Frank Gehry would
have been beyond the wildest imagination of the Savoy family, who once resided in the
17th-century
Castello di Rivoli
, where the cutting edge of Turin's contemporary art scene
has been housed since 1984.
The castle is west of central Turin in the town of Rivoli (not to be confused with the
city's Rivoli metro station). Take the metro to Paradiso station and then bus 36 to Rivoli
bus station. Journey time is about one hour. Otherwise, take the metro to the Fermi stop,
from where there's a free daily shuttle - see the website for shuttle schedules.
Parco Valentino
( 24hr; )
Opened in 1856, this 550,000-sq-metre French-style park kisses the banks
of the Po and and is filled with joggers, promenaders and lovers night and day. Walking
southwest along the river brings you to
Castello del Valentino
(closed to the public), a mock
chateau built in the 17th century.
PARK
Borgo Medievale
(Parco Valentino; 9am-8pm Apr-Sep; )
One of Parco Valentino's more esoteric
sights is this faux medieval village, built for the Italian General Exhibition in 1884. Its
centrepiece is the
Rocca
(Viale Virgilio 107; adult/reduced €5/4; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, to 6pm Sun)
, a
mock, scaled-down castle. Real historians might want to spare their change for the real
thing (there's no shortage of medieval villages in Italy), though kids might enjoy the
kitsch.
HISTORIC PARK
Chiesa di Gran Madre di Dio
(Piazza Vittorio Veneto)
Framing the exquisite view southeast over Piazza Vittorio Veneto to-
wards the Po river, this church was built in the style of a mini-Pantheon from 1818 to
1831 to commemorate the return of Vittorio Emanuele I from exile. It's small and rounded
inside; some claim it's yet another secret repository for the Holy Grail.
CHURCH
