Presentation of the Vale Project in Turin

On 16 September 2026, the Vale project was publicly presented in Turin, a cultural hub that will take shape around the new Biblioteca civica centrale, set to open to the public on 11 December 2026. The name is short for Valentino, the area of the city park where the hub will be located, while also evoking the value of culture [2].

The Project

Vale involves the entire Valentino area, connecting several locations into a network: the Parco del Valentino, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico di Torino, the Botanical Garden and the university spaces on Corso Massimo d'Azeglio, in addition to the new Biblioteca civica centrale [2]. The overall value of the project exceeds 200 million euros, funded by the City of Turin, banking foundations and universities [1][2]. The Compagnia di San Paolo has invested over 24 million euros in the Borgo Medievale, while the Fondazione CRT has allocated 7 million euros, in addition to the 32 million already committed previously to the city, as noted by president Annamaria Poggi [2]. The conversion project for the Biblioteca civica centrale bears the signature of the engineering firm Icis and the studios Isolarchitetti of Turin and Rafael Moneo of Madrid [2].

Statements

Mayor Stefano Lo Russo described the initiative as "one of the greatest urban projects in Turin's recent history," emphasizing how it brings together culture, university, research, education, nature and public space in one of the city's most distinctive locations [2]. The direction of the new Library's cultural programming has been entrusted to Maurizia Rebola, former director of the Circolo dei Lettori and currently head of OGR, who described the new hub as "a permanent laboratory of citizenship and culture" [1][2].

Run-up Programme

Ahead of the 11 December opening, a dedicated website (valetorino.it) has been gathering, since 16 September 2026, the first scheduled events, set to take place from November in various symbolic locations across the city [2]. The "La Biblioteca Immaginaria" series features readings of classic works by writers and artists: on 5 November at the Gallerie d'Italia, Chiara Valerio will speak on "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco; on 10 November at OGR, Boosta and Matteo Caccia will present "Le città inudibili," in dialogue with "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino; on 12 November, in the auditorium of Reale Mutua, Paolo Giordano will revisit "The Library of Babel" by Jorge Luis Borges [1]. The programme is supported for the 2026-2028 three-year period by Reale Mutua [1].

Future Prospects

Starting in February 2027, programming will continue at the new venue with the "Bosco Civico" series, which will host, in the Sala Nervi, meetings with Dacia Maraini (12 February), philosopher Telmo Pievani (16 February) and scientist Stefano Mancuso (25 February) [1]. In spring, the hub will host the tenth edition of Biennale Democrazia and will hold events for the Torino Jazz Festival and the Salone del Libro, as well as events for MiTo and the Giornate della Legalità [1].

Pages linking here

Sources

la Repubblica Torino — 17 September 2026
ANSA Piemonte — 16 September 2026

Report a mistake.