VALE

VALE is the distributed cultural hub launched in 2026 at Torino's Parco del Valentino, networking the park, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the universities and the new central civic Library.

VALE is the new distributed cultural hub presented on 16 September 2026 at the Valentino park in Torino. The name is short for "Valentino", but it is also meant as an exhortation not to forget the value ('valore') of culture. The project links together the Parco del Valentino, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico di Torino (which will be housed in the pavilions of the former Torino Esposizioni), the Orto Botanico and the premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio of the Università degli Studi di Torino. [1][2][3]

The heart of the project: the new central civic Library

The core of VALE is the new Biblioteca civica centrale, set up in the redeveloped spaces of the former Torino Esposizioni, due to open to the public on 11 December 2026. The first events linked to the cultural hub began on 5 November 2026, while VALE's full programme will get under way at the start of 2027. The first events on the calendar, which can be found on the website valetorino.it, take place in other landmark sites of the city's culture, as part of a build-up to the hub's definitive opening. [1][2]

Partners and funding

VALE is being built with the involvement of the Comune di Torino, the city's universities, banking foundations, cultural institutions and private partners. The Fondazione CRT has invested 7 million euros in works linked to the transformation of the Valentino park and the creation of the new home of the Biblioteca civica centrale. The Compagnia di San Paolo foundation, meanwhile, is engaged in a project to upgrade and manage the renewed Borgo Medievale, through a special public-private partnership agreement in which the company XKE SI appears as a special partner: the planned investment is 24 million euros, plus about 2 million euros a year for philanthropic management purposes. [2]

Statements

The mayor of Torino Stefano Lo Russo called what is taking shape at the Valentino "one of the largest urban projects in Torino's recent history", stressing how the project holds together culture, universities, research, education, nature and public space, placing the Valentino "among the most significant experiences at European level". According to Lo Russo, the partnership between the Comune, the universities, the banking foundations, the cultural institutions and the private partners is one of the defining features of the transformation. The president of the Fondazione CRT, Anna Maria Poggi, said that VALE represents for the Foundation "an investment in knowledge, in accessibility and in the city's future". [2]

The VALE project and the areas involved

The name Vale is short for Valentino and at the same time a nod to the value ('valore') of culture: the project brings together the Parco del Valentino, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico, the Orto Botanico and the university premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio.¹

Full-scale programming begins at the start of 2027 with the "Bosco Civico" series in the Sala Nervi, which will host, among others, Dacia Maraini on 12 February, the philosopher Telmo Pievani on 16 February and the scientist Stefano Mancuso on 25 February; in spring the hub will become the venue for the tenth edition of Biennale Democrazia and will host events of the Torino Jazz Festival and the Salone del Libro, followed later by MiTo and the Giornate della Legalità.

The Vale cultural hub in the Valentino area (2026)

«Vale», short for Valentino, is the name of the cultural hub that Torino is building around the new Biblioteca Civica Centrale, which opened on 11 December 2026: the project involves the whole Valentino area, including the Parco, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico, the Orto Botanico and the university premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio, for an overall value of more than 200 million euros, backed by the City, Foundations and Universities.¹

Among the funders, the Compagnia di San Paolo has invested more than 24 million euros for the Borgo and the Fondazione CRT 7 million, in addition to the 32 million already earmarked for the city; mayor Stefano Lo Russo called it «one of the largest urban projects in Torino's recent history».¹

The Vale project is born in the Valentino area (September 2026)

In September 2026 Vale is born, short for Valentino and a nod to the value of culture: a cultural hub that develops around the new Biblioteca civica centrale and involves the whole Valentino area, including the Parco del Valentino, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico di Torino, the Orto Botanico and the university premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio.

Among the funders, the Compagnia di San Paolo has invested more than 24 million euros for the restoration of the Borgo Medievale, while the Fondazione Crt has earmarked a further 7 million euros, in addition to the 32 million already invested by the same foundation in the city, according to what was stated by its president Annamaria Poggi. The calendar building up to the project is published on the site valetorino.it starting from 16 September 2026.

Vale: the Valentino cultural hub beyond the library

From the afternoon of 16 September 2026 the site www.valetorino.it publishes the first events on the calendar, scheduled from November in various landmark sites of the city's culture, pending the start of Vale's programming at the beginning of 2027.

Opening on 11 December 2026 and the project worth more than 200 million euros

The Vale cultural hub, which comprises the new Biblioteca civica centrale together with the Parco del Valentino, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico di Torino, the Orto Botanico and the university premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio, has an overall value of more than 200 million euros, backed by the City, Foundations and Universities; among the contributions made public are more than 24 million from the Compagnia di San Paolo for the Borgo and 7 million from the Fondazione Crt. Direction of the hub's cultural programme has been entrusted to Maurizia Rebola, formerly director of the Circolo dei Lettori and, at the time of the announcement, director of the Ogr. The calendar of "off" events ahead of the Library's opening, on 11 December 2026, includes meetings at the Gallerie d'Italia, at the Ogr and in the auditorium of Reale Mutua, which is backing the programme for the three years 2026-2028.

The investments and the parties involved in the Vale project

The project's overall value exceeds 200 million euros, backed by the Città di Torino, foundations and universities: the Compagnia di San Paolo has invested more than 24 million euros for the Borgo Medievale, while the Fondazione Crt has earmarked 7 million euros for it, in addition to the 32 million already invested previously in the city, as stated by its president Annamaria Poggi. The redevelopment project for the Library was designed by the engineering firm Icis and by the Isolarchitetti of Torino and Rafael Moneo of Madrid studios. The first events on the calendar building up to Vale are published on the site valetorino.it, while the hub's actual programming will start at the beginning of the following year.

Funding, designers and calendar of the Vale project

The Vale project has an overall value of more than 200 million euros, backed by contributions from the City of Torino, the foundations and the universities: the Compagnia di San Paolo has invested more than 24 million euros for the restoration of the Borgo Medievale, while the Fondazione Crt has earmarked 7 million euros for the project, in addition to the 32 million already committed by the foundation for the city. On the site valetorino.it the first events of the build-up calendar are published: the series «La Biblioteca Immaginaria» offers, on 5 November at the Gallerie d'Italia, a talk by Chiara Valerio on «The Name of the Rose» by Umberto Eco, on 10 November at the Ogr «Le città inudibili» by Boosta and Matteo Caccia, and on 12 November, in the auditorium of Reale Mutua, a reading by Paolo Giordano of «The Library of Babel» by Jorge Luis Borges. From February the «Bosco Civico» series brings to the Sala Nervi, among others, Dacia Maraini (12 February), the philosopher Telmo Pievani (16 February) and the essayist Stefano Mancuso (25 February); in spring the hub will host the tenth edition of Biennale Democrazia and events of the Torino Jazz Festival, the Salone del Libro, MiTo SettembreMusica and the Giornate della Legalità.

A distributed hub in the Valentino area

The Vale project (short for «Valentino», also a nod to the value of culture) is not limited to the new Biblioteca civica centrale, but brings together in a single cultural hub several places in the Valentino area: the park, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico di Torino, the Orto Botanico and the university premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio.

Direction of the Library's cultural programme has been entrusted to Maurizia Rebola, formerly director of the Circolo dei Lettori and, at the time of her appointment, director of the Ogr, who describes the new hub as a «permanent laboratory of citizenship and culture»: «A laboratory, not a showcase; permanent, not seasonal», she explains, «because for us a culture that does not produce citizenship, responsibility, awareness and belonging is not enough».

Opening on 11 December 2026 and the hub around the central civic Library

Around the new Biblioteca civica centrale, due to open to the public on 11 December 2026, the Vale cultural hub is born — short for Valentino — involving the whole area with the Parco del Valentino, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the new campus of the Politecnico, the Orto Botanico and the university premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio; the project's overall value exceeds 200 million euros, thanks to contributions from the City, the Foundations and the Universities. Directing the cultural programme is Maurizia Rebola, who describes the new hub as a «permanent laboratory of citizenship and culture»; the first part of the programme is backed for the three years 2026-2028 by Reale Mutua.

Chronology

16 September 2026 — At the Valentino, VALE is born, the new distributed cultural hub that links together the park, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the universities and the future Biblioteca civica centrale in the redeveloped spaces of Torino Esposizioni. → La Stampa TorinoClick

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Sources

La Stampa — 17 September 2026
TorinoClick — 16 September 2026
Politecnico di Torino - Poliflash — 16 September 2026
ANSA Piemonte — 16 September 2026
la Repubblica Torino — 17 September 2026

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