Turin University Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden of Turin was created in 1729, at the behest of Vittorio Amedeo II. It accompanied the establishment of the Ordinary Chair of Botany at the Faculty of Medicine of Turin University, for the cultivation and study of the therapeutic properties of simple plant species used for the preparation of medicines.

Floristic research for medicinal, alimentary and ornamental purposes was also carried out on species that grew wild in Piedmont, exotic species and hybrids. With new living collections, the Garden took on a more modern approach, becoming a place of collection, cultivation, teaching and research.

The Garden's Botanical Collections are planted in the ground in three separate areas. Over 1500 species are cultivated in the Botanical Garden, with 300 in the Tropical Greenhouse and 350 succulents in the Greenhouse. The collection has recently been enriched with more than 350 species from South Africa, introduced into the New Greenhouse set up in 2007.

There are some nineteenth century trees in the Garden and Arboretum, including Ginkgo biloba, Tilia tomentosa, Liriodendron tulipifera, Platanus hybrida, Pterocarya fraxinifolia and Fagus sylvatica.

The Botanical Garden offers guided tours for groups and schools, all year round by appointment. It is open to the public from mid-April to mid-October, with guided tours included in the admission fee. They last about an hour and take place in the flowerbeds of the Garden and in the woods behind it.