Parks for everyone

Perhaps not everyone knows that Torino is the Italian city with the most public greenery, with 320 km of tree-lined avenues and about 50 parks. Also Treepedia, the urban tree map created by the Senseable Lab Massachusetts Institute of Technology in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, has noticed this: Torino is 18th in the world ranking, and the first Italian city.The public parks are not only located in the historic centre, on the contrary: in every district there is at least one park, with lawns, areas equipped for children and spaces for running, playing, sunbathing and relaxing, playing with dogs, attending events and shows, especially in summer.
The most famous is certainly the Parco del Valentino, overlooking the Po and at the foot of the hill, with the 18th century Botanical Garden, the Castle - one of the Royal Residences - and the Medieval Village; another green area is the Pellerina in the north-west part of the city, on the banks of the Dora Riparia, with skating rinks and tennis courts; and then there is Parco Colonnetti on the southern outskirts, with children’s play areas, gymnastic tracks, fountains; the Parco Cavalieri di Vittorio Veneto (Piazza d’Armi) in the Santa Rita neighbourhood, where the people of Torino have been running and motoring for decades.
Parco Ruffini was created to provide some green to the inhabitants of Pozzostrada and San Paolo; while the Royal Gardens, behind the Royal Palace, were designed in 1697 by André le Nôtre, the architect who also designed the Park of Versailles.
In Torino walks in the park can also be enjoyed in the Protected Areas of the Po and Collina Torinese, where there is a rich network of paths and itineraries for bikers, runners or simple walkers. Only a few kilometres from the centre, you can also take a carriage ride through the La Mandria Natural Park, where many species of wild animals live among clearings, century-old trees and flowering meadows.