Borgo Medievale Turin: Is It Open? Our Visit with Kids

Is Borgo Medievale open? (checked October 2026)

No. The Borgo and Rocca Medievale have been closed for restoration since January 2024. Turin’s tourist board lists the closure through 2027, though the city plans to reopen finished parts in stages, and the first phase of works was due to finish in summer 2026. Check the official site before you go. Parco del Valentino around it is open.

On our winter 2018/19 trip to Turin, Damian was 5 and Marc 2, and we were killing a morning while we waited for my parents to arrive for New Year. My sister suggested Borgo Medievale, a “medieval village” we’d somehow never seen in four visits. It turned into a lovely morning, though the boys enjoyed it for different reasons than the museum intends.

What is Borgo Medievale?

It looks like a 15th-century village, and it was built in 1884. Turin created it for the Italian General Exhibition, reproducing the houses, workshops, fountains, frescoes and fortifications of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley in the 1400s, all inside the Parco del Valentino on the River Po. Walking through the gate feels like stepping onto a film set: a drawbridge, narrow streets, artisans’ workshops and a chapel.

Start in Parco del Valentino

Our day actually started in the park. It’s Turin’s second-largest park, stretched along the west bank of the Po, and on a winter morning it’s full of joggers, dog walkers and families. We spent about an hour there before we even reached the Borgo. The boys chased squirrels, and there’s a playground. If you have small kids, budget time for this. It’s free, and it’s half the fun.

Inside the village

We moved through the village streets fast, mostly because the kids were running in different directions. That’s the best part of the Borgo for small children: no cars, odd little alleys, towers and arches, and nothing they can break. Even when the Rocca reopens, the village is the free part to enjoy.

The Rocca: a guided tour of a medieval castle

The highlight was the Rocca, the castle at the top of the village, which recreates a noble residence from 15th-century Piedmont. You couldn’t wander in on your own: a guide took small groups through room by room, explaining what each was for. There were armour and weapons, the dining hall with embossed tableware in the cupboards, and the kitchen with game hanging up. The tour was in Italian only. My sister translated the bits we missed, so if you don’t speak Italian, ask about other languages when it reopens.

Two things we didn’t expect: it was colder inside the castle than outside, so keep coats on, and in winter there’s not much to see in the medieval garden afterwards.

What we paid (2018): €6 per adult, €3.50 for children from 5, guide included. New prices haven’t been published during the closure.

Is Borgo Medievale good for kids?

For a short visit, yes. The village is a great place for small kids to run around. The guided Rocca tour is better from about age 6, because it’s indoors, in Italian, and you can’t touch anything. Ours, at 5 and 2, enjoyed the rooms with armour and the kitchen, and lost interest in the rest.

While it’s closed: what to do nearby

• Parco del Valentino: open, free, with a playground and a riverside walk.
• The Automobile Museum (MAUTO): a short ride south along the river. It was the first museum we ever visited in Turin.
• Stupinigi: a real Savoy palace, if you want history. Our Stupinigi visit.

Everything else we’ve done in the city is in Turin with kids: 15 things to do.