Il Po dei Re
The Po of the Kings - The area of Turin
- Trail Conditions: Car
The surroundings of Turin are pleasant, since the hills gently slope down to the plain. In the countryside, the dirt roads develop among groups of houses and isolated farmsteads. At the junctions, it is often possible to find religious aediculae, small churches with chipped walls where wall lizards warm up under the sun. Colored tesserae follow one next to the other in an endless series of plowed fields, poplar groves, vegetable gardens, and orchards.
This is the setting of Villa Cavour in Santena, built in the early 18th century on feudal ruins according to the will of Earl Ottavio Benso di Cavour, in the heart of the town center. It houses the Museum dedicated to Cavour and the funerary chapel of the Earls. In the back, the residence is surrounded by a silent park characterized by the presence of extraordinary plane trees for size and bearing: the biggest one has prostrate branches needing supports. The Villa is characterized by clean lines, with a crimson façade and clear decorations mitigating its harshness. The white bell tower of the adjacent church stands out in the complex: dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the church was built in the year 1000 and subsequently enlarged and rebuilt; the building as we see it now dates back to the early 20th century.
Entering a tentacular Turin, the river Po changes its aspect, restrained and twisted by man. The natural features have been gradually replaced by measures whose goal is the safety of the embankments, the possibility to exploit the banks, the production of energy, the purification of its waters. Several stretches of the river are clearly degraded. They include, in the territory of Moncalieri, Molinello Recreational Area, whose establishment, like the establishment of similar areas, is justified only by the commitment to open them to the public. Several projects have been discussed, others are going to be implemented.
Further information (Italian text)
