Vale, Turin's new central public library

Vale, short for «Valentino» and an echo of the Italian word for value (valore), is Turin's new cultural hub, built around the new central public library (Biblioteca civica centrale), in the area of the Parco del Valentino. The project involves the whole area — the park, the Teatro Nuovo, the Borgo Medievale, the Politecnico's new campus, the Botanical Garden and the university premises on corso Massimo d'Azeglio — for a total value of more than 200 million euros, funded by the City of Turin, foundations and universities [1][2].

The central public library

The new central public library opens to the public on 11 December 2026. The cultural programme of the hub is entrusted to Maurizia Rebola, formerly director of the Circolo dei Lettori and the Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR), who describes it as a «permanent workshop of citizenship and culture», supported for 2026-2028 by Reale Mutua [1][2]. The building's conversion was designed by the engineering firm Icis together with the Turin-based practice Isolarchitetti and the Madrid-based architect Rafael Moneo. Among the funders are Compagnia di San Paolo, which has invested more than 24 million euros in the Borgo, and Fondazione CRT, with a further 7 million euros on top of the 32 million already committed to the city [2].

The programme

Ahead of the opening, a lead-up series called «La Biblioteca Immaginaria» (The Imaginary Library) offers off-site events at various venues around the city: on 5 November at the Gallerie d'Italia with Chiara Valerio on Umberto Eco's «The Name of the Rose», on 10 November at the OGR with Boosta and Matteo Caccia, and on 12 November in the Reale Mutua auditorium with Paolo Giordano on Jorge Luis Borges's «The Library of Babel» [1]. From February 2027, in the Sala Nervi of the new hub, the «Bosco Civico» (Civic Wood) series will begin, with contributions from Dacia Maraini, the philosopher Telmo Pievani and the scientist Stefano Mancuso; in spring, Vale will also host the tenth edition of Biennale Democrazia and events of the Torino Jazz Festival, the Salone del Libro and MiTo [1].

Related articles: Biblioteca civica centrale, Parco del Valentino, Presentation of the Vale Project in Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, VALE, VALE, the Valentino cultural hub, is born

Sources

  1. la Repubblica Torino — 17 September 2026
  2. ANSA Piemonte — 16 September 2026

Categories

ValentinoCulture in TurinLibraries

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