15:17
Pagina 1
5
4
6
3
7
27
28
31
29
FIRST FLOOR
30
8. Guardian’s Room
9. Anteroom
to Great Chamber
10. Great Chamber
11. Bedroom
12. Oratory
13. Maid's Chamber
14. Chapel
16
17
15
24
23
21
22
20
14
11
9
18
5
7
4
19
13
26
25
6
10
8
2
1
12
3
f i u m e
p o
11
10
12
13
14
9
8
viale
del valentino
vir
f
gil
i
io
u
m
e
p
o
corso fiume
7. Prisons
parco
ponte isabella
UNDERGROUND LEVEL
a
massimo d’azeglio
Palazzo
Torino
Esposizioni
1
corso
nte
o da
2
nizz
corso marconi
Entrance
Entrance Hall
Inner Bailey
Armory
Kitchen
Dining Hall
via
corso raffaello
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Stazione
Porta
Nuova
r
GROUND LEVEL
cors
16. Church (from Verzuolo, Cirié, Valperga, Piobesi,
Piossasco, Strambino) – Exhibition Room
17. Avigliana House – Ticket Office
18. Chieri House
19. Tavern Yard (from Chieri, Pinerolo, Avigliana,
Borgofranco with original well from Dronero)
20. Avigliana Tower
21. Pinerolo House
22. Mondovì House
23. Pomegranate fountain (reproduction of the
original in the Issogne Castle)
24. Ozegna House
25. Borgofranco House
26. Malgrà House
27. Castle
28. Armory
29. Garden of pleasure (Giardino delle delizie)
30. Garden of remedies (Giardino dei semplici)
31. Kitchen garden
he Medieval Castle at the Valentino was
built to host the Ancient Art section of
the 1884 Turin Expo: along the Po river and
surrounded by walls, the richly furnished
castle rises above a small cluster of houses
and workshops. The buildings and the
decorations are faithful copies of 15th century
castles as most indications for the furniture
and the settings came from the Civic Museum
of Ancient Art. Within this great exhibition,
that was meant to promote the industrial,
technological and business development of
the city, the medieval castle was intended as
an educational and promotional tool. The
idea of the organizing Committee was to offer
an artistic and evocative example of the
gothic style which characterized 15th century
in Piedmont: a century of cultural and
economic growth that blossomed under the
duchy of Amedeo VIII, leaving many
important monuments throughout the region
that needed to be preserved and enhanced, as
most of them were still unknown, even to
scholars. Such models of taste and technique
were presented as a precious lesson for the
local industry and handicraft, to encourage
the production of historically inspired works
of high artistic level.
Many scholars, historians, technicians and
artists of the time took part in the planning
of the castle, under the supervision of
architect Alfredo D’Andrade, together with
artist and connoisseur Vittorio Avondo,
already curator of the restoration of the
Issogne castle in the Valley of Aosta, and
Riccardo Brayda.
corso vittorio emanuele ii
T
THE CASTLE
1. Carved wooden Cross
(from the original in Fénis Castle)
2. Rampart (from Bussoleno)
3. Round angle tower (from st. Giorio Castle)
4. Oglianico Tower with drawbridge
5/6.Ferrier’s oven and shelter (from Susa)
7. Fountain (from Salbertrand)
8. Pilgrims’ Lodging (from Serravalle Scrivia)
9. Bussoleno Main House with blacksmith’s workshop
10. Bussoleno Second House with paper mill
11. Frossasco House with carpenter workshop
12. Rivoli Gate
13. Alba House with print shop
14. Alba Tower
15. Cuorgnè House
il l e
corso so m m e
THE VILLAGE
Borgo Medievale Torino
Parco del Valentino
Viale Virgilio 107
10126 Torino
HOURS OF OPERATION
BORGO
April – October: 9 am – 8 pm
November – March: 9 am – 7 pm
Free admission
ROCCA
Tue – Sun: 10 am – 6 pm
Last entrance: 5.15 pm
Mondays closed
INFORMATION
Tel. 011.443.1701/02
borgomedievale@fondazione
torinomusei.it
www.borgomedievaletorino.it
ADMISSION ROCCA
Adults: 5 euros
Concessions: 4 euros
EDUCATIONAL
Programmes and guided tours
011.443.17.10/12
DISABLED ACCESS
Is limited as the Rocca is not
easily reachable
OTHER SERVICES
artisan shops • refreshment room
rent of museum spaces
TRANSPORTATION
Bus n. 42, 45, 67 • tram 9, 16, 18
BORGO
E ROCCA
MEDIEVALE
DI TORINO
ENGLISH
1-07-2009
Elio Vigna Design—stampa: Ianni – Santena (TO)
pieg_ing:p
pieg_ing:p
1-07-2009
15:18
Pagina 2
THE VILLAGE
eproducing 15th century
buildings found on the
Piedmontese and Aosta Valley
territory, the Medieval Village
is cleverly set so that spaces and
picturesque perspectives multiply
along the main alley.
In 1884, visitors were shown ancient
manufacturing techniques through
the many workshops that had been
recreated: from the potter’s to the weaver’s, from the
carpenter’s to the blacksmith’s and the coppersmith’s,
as well as the apothecary and a workshop for the
reproduction of artistic objects. A landmark in the study
of the middle ages and neo-medieval studies, the Borgo has
become today a very particular multi-purpose museum,
whose objective is to foster and study traditional crafts,
to create a fun and learning place for children as well as
an interesting tourist attraction, and to carry out different
initiatives to meet the needs and interests of a diverse public.
R
THE MEDIEVAL
GARDEN
EDUCATIONAL
DEPARTMENT
R
T
ecreated in 1998, the Medieval
Garden includes: the Garden of
pleasure, with roses, primroses, violets and
other flowering plants particularly loved
by the Middle Ages courts; the Garden of
simple remedies, used as medication by
medieval pharmacists and the Kitchen
garden full of vegetables and fruit trees
with the willow tree and the rye shed.
These various plants, as well as the
ornamental furniture of the three section
garden, have been identified through
iconographic and bibliographic research
and are shown alongside other local
botanical species, all organically grown.
The garden houses conferences and events
directly connected with green, native
species and medieval culture.
he Educational
Department coordinates
various workshops for
students of all grades and
works with their teachers.
The educational programme
also includes conferences and
themed tours, together with
other activities that involve
both parents and their
children, as the special
Birthday celebration at the
Borgo Medievale: a special
occasion to spend an amusing
afternoon among the
suggestions of ancient times.
THE CASTLE
THE EXHIBITION ROOM
I
S
t is the focal point of the tour inside the Borgo.
The lord’s fortified living quarters are characterized
by splendid rooms with gorgeous furniture, fabrics and
furnishings, distinctive of the taste and customs of 15th
century castle life. “The house needs to be vibrating and
animated, everything must be placed as if we were to live it
as it was” as the 1884 catalogue read. The armory shows
armors and arms, flasks and hoods; in the dining hall
the cupboards reveal embossed kitchenware and pottery
while game hangs in the kitchen…
On the first floor, after the throne room with pictures of
the valiant heroes and heroines inspired by the Chevalier
Errant of Tommaso III of Saluzzo, we find the baron’s
bedroom, where the great canopy bed stands out with
the coat of arms of Amedeo IX. The enchanting chapel is
highlighted by frescoes by Giuseppe Rollini reproducing
the works of Jaquerio di S. Antonio di Ranverso.
et behind the church façade there is an exhibition
room where rotating exhibits offer the chance to step
deeper into themes and topics linked with the various
cultural approaches expressed by the museum.
EVENTS
T
hanks to its own peculiarities and for the fascinating
position inside the park of Valentino, the village
houses different events: celebrations connected with
seasons and feast days , theatrical and musical
performances, popular and cultural meetings and
oenogastronomical festivals, typical handicraft markets,
musical and theatrical guided tours.
We invite you to browse the up-to-date programmes
on our website or to read the news on our informative
panels along the streets of the village.