Parco del Valentino

Parco del Valentino stretches for 550,000 square metres along the left bank of the Po, from the Piazza Vittorio bridge south to the Molinette hospital. It is Turin's most popular park — joggers, cyclists, families and students fill the riverside paths during the day. After dark, the wooded sections in the southern part of the park, away from the well-lit riverside paths, are Turin's main outdoor cruising area. The Castello del Valentino (a 17th-century Savoy palace) marks the northern boundary of the active zone; the paths south towards the Borgo Medievale are where cruising activity concentrates. The park is large enough and sufficiently frequented to be safe; the combination of darkness and wooded cover in the southern sections provides discretion. Active year-round with peak activity in spring and summer.