With a surface of about 500,000 square metres, it stretches along the banks of river Po close to the hill, between the monumental “Re Umberto I” bridge and “Principessa Isabella” bridge; it is close to the city centre and a kilometre far from Porta Nuova central railway station.
The origin of its name is indeterminate. The first document reporting the name “Valentinium” dates back to 1275. Somebody claims that the name derives from Saint Valentine, as the relics of this young saint, martyrized in the 3rd century, are kept since 1700 in a crystal shrine in San Vito’s church, where they had been moved from a close small church, after that it had been destroyed.  Some scholars claim that, on 14 February, in the park, a feast used to be celebrated, in which every lady used to call her gentleman “Valentine”.
The park was created in 1630 according to the project of Carlo Cognengo di Castellamonte, and his son Amedeo carried on the work till 1660; in 1864 it was partially redrawn by the French Barillet, who improved the layout of walks, thickets, artificial hollows, a small riding track and a lake, then dried up, which would be used as a “patinoire” in winter.  

In Valentino Park we can find many important historical buildings:

Valentino Castle (Castello del Valentino): it is surely the most famous building in the park; its origins date back to the beginning of the 16th century; in 1564 it was purchased by Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy. Then king Carlo Emanuele I ceded it to Maria Cristina of France, who chose it as her favourite residence and stayed there with her court for a long time.  The castle was completely restored from 1621 to 1660 by Carlo di Castellamonte and then by his son Amedeo. It has two different facades: the main one, facing Turin, has the architectural features of XVII French castles and Italian baroque buildings, while the one facing the river Po is made of fired bricks. Two grand staircases lead to the first floor, where we can find the Central Hall (Salone Centrale) and the Hunt Hall (Sala della caccia), whose rich stuccoes and commemorative allegorical fresco paintings are the evidence of the ancient shine of the 17^th century. The wide courtyard is paved with light and deep cobbles, and its original draws are still conserved.

Medieval Village and Stronghold: it is a wonderful complex consisting of the Medieval Village and of the Stronghold or fortified castle. It lies close to “Principessa Isabella” bridge, and can be also reached by the boats leaving from Murazzi pier. The embattled walls, the castle, the drawbridge, the fortified houses, the alleys and the craft workshops resounding with life make up a faithful reproduction of a 5^th century village.  It was build on the occasion of 1884 International Exposition by Alfredo D’Andrade, expert of the Piedmontese Middle Ages and restorer of various castles and abbeys in Piedmont.
 

Torino Esposizioni complex is the seat of prestigious events; it was also the seat of the International Motor Show till 1990, when the exhibition was moved to the pavillons of Lingotto Fiere.

The complex also includes the “Teatro Nuovo” theatre and the Rink Palace. 

The seat of the Society promoting Fine Arts, founded in 1842, lies on the right of Valentino Castle, and in it temporary art exhibitions are held.

The Botanical Garden, the seat of the Vegetal Biology Department of the University of Turin, is one of the main botanical centres in Italy. Its herbarium contains a good 700,000 exemplars.

Villa Glicini is the seat of Turin Fencing Club, founded in 1879; every year it hosts international foil, fence and sabre matches; here, in 1844, the first Gymnastics Club in Italy was founded.