Ah Turin, the first time I moved abroad (3 hours drive from home lol) but somehow also the beginning of my running life. At that time, I had no sports watch, so you won’t see the trace of my running routes. Still, I picked-up a few spots for you to get an idea of where to run in Turin.
City profile
Geography: Turin is a secondary city in the North West of Italy, the capital city of the region of Piemonte. It stands only around 100km away from the French border, at the foot of the Alps mountains and on the banks of the Po river.
Population: 850.000 inhabitants
Climate: Cold, humid and misty winter (I nearly lost my fingers while running) ; hot summer
What it’s famous for:
- La FIAT! The original factory still stands there and Turinese are still proud of it. Turin was historically home to many automotive industries and a working-class city;
- its Egyptian museum (one of the world’s largest collection of Egyptian antiquities);
- its street markets (the prices are unbelievably cheap);
- its National museum of Cinema, famous for it’s “duomo”;
- its beautiful streets in the historical center, arcades and galleries;
- its “Gianduja” chocolate, made with Piedmont hazelnuts…
Running friendliness: ✴️✴️✴️
How I ended-up in Turin
At the age of 20, I was admitted into a famous French “Grande école” (a business school recognised by the State). I had the choice to spend my first year either in Paris or in Turin, where the school has a campus in partnership with the Faculty of economics. Until then, I was living in Grenoble, I didn’t want to find myself with arrogant Parisian schoolmates (most of the students of that school come from Paris or around, and that was the -partly true- cliché I had of them), didn’t want to get stressed to find an expensive accommodation in Paris (or end-up in a 10m² flat under the roof), and, most importantly, I had a (runner) boyfriend studying in Grenoble at that time, so 3h drive from Turin.
Let’s just say that the choice way quickly made. I would already get an experience abroad while being close to home, have a better quality of life and still enjoy my beloved mountains.
So off we go, I put my bags down in Turin in September 2016, and left in April 2017 (yes, the semesters in business schools are short).
First run
First destination, first time I had to run alone in a new city I did not know. I could say that this first Italian run is the reason for me to write this blog many years later.
A few days after settling in, it’s time to put on my running shoes. I take my keys, don’t take my phone, as usual (I don’t have anything to put it in anyway). I had vaguely spotted a huge park close to where I lived, and where I had a stroll a few days before. The park is roughly squared and surrounded by 4 large avenues which look more or less the same. What I didn’t realise is that I ran in on one side but ran out on another one. I spent around 30 minutes jogging in the park and 40 to find my way back home, trying several streets that all looked the same to me, getting into dead ends, swearing against myself. I finally found the street I lived in (I had run past it a dozen times), after asking an old Italian gentleman (fortunately French and Italian languages are close cousins).
And that’s why, since then, every time I settle in a new city, I first take (at least) one “scouting walk” to check around, memorise the way there and back and assess the “running friendliness” of the spot: how far is it from home, how large is it (if it’s a park), is it soil or asphalt, is it crowded (with locals, other runners, or (worse) tourists)? And I take my phone for my two or three first running sessions until I get familiar with the neighbourhood, or anytime I’m venturing to another part of the city.
Anyway, as far as I remember, I think I’ve never gotten lost going for a run since then, or not to that extent in any case.
Running spots
The classiest one: Parco del Valentino
Parco del Valentino is the touristic running spot. Located in the San Salvario neighbourhood, on the left bank of the Po river, at the bottom of the hill but close to the city centre, it is the most famous urban public park of the city.
The park is really beautiful and features a lot to see: a castle, a reproduction of a medieval village, fountains, a Japanese style garden, the river… The drawback is, of course, it attracts not only tourists but also locals who enjoy a stroll in its green alleys, especially on weekends.
Why run there:
- Really, this park is beautiful, especially when autumn comes and the trees turn yellow and red along the river Po. Before or after your run (as a warm-up or cool-down walk), you can enjoy a closer look at its famous attractions.
- It is a walking (running) distance from the city centre, something like one kilometre away from the railway station (Porta Nuova) which marks the beginning of the city centre.
- It is quite large a you can easily do a few kilometres without running in circles, and even continue running outside along the river bank to extend your mileage. And if you feel like running uphill, you just have to cross the Po.
…and why not:
- As said before, the inner alleys can be very crowded and it can be difficult (and annoying, let’s be honest) to zigzag between people or having to stop to let people pass. I you’re planning a interval training session, forget it.
- Also, some alleys are quite narrow and twisty, so you’re not ideal to work on your speed.
- Most of the alleys and tracks are tarmac. Good when it’s raining, but not that good for your joints.
- It is not so large for a long run. After 6km, you’re likely to run in circles and should better get out and go along the river bank.
I would say that if you live close to the centre, parco Valentino can be a good running spot. To avoid the crowd and its inconvenience, follow the river bank and avoid the inner part of the park. The best option is just to cross the park and continue running along the Po North (and possibly make a loop crossing the river).
My favorite one: Parco Gustavo Colonnetti
If you live in the southern part of the city, this is the perfect running spot. Large, wide, wild, you can easily forget you are in the city when you are in the middle of that park.
Why run there:
- It’s dirt roads! 🧡
- It’s varied: the park is very nature-like. You will cross “grassland-like” parts, mini forests, small rivers and ponds. A part from being less boring than tarmac road, another advantage of that is that you can still find some coolness and shade when it’s getting hot.
- It’s quite large: you can easily run 10 kilometres without getting (too) bored. And if you cross the road, you end-up in another park, parco Piemonte to extend your run. This latter one is a bit hilly and feels even wilder, as you can follow the river banks (not as stylish as the Po though).
- The paths are relatively large to dodge walkers, you can run on the grass to avoid people.
- It’s flat and not so crowdy: in other terms, good for interval training 😁
…and why not:
- It’s far from the city centre. Not a good choice if you live there or in the northern part of the city, unless you are willing to take the tram or your bike.
- Some track can get muddy in the “forest” part when it rains.
- If you really want to go for a long run (more than 15km) you may feel a bit cramped, even if you combine with parco Piemonte. The best place would be Parco Naturale di Stupinigi, which is very wide (5km long and 4km wide), but even more South (actually kind of out of town).
The most challenging one: Basilica di Superga
Superga is an inevitable touristic attraction, a basilica sat on a top a hill on the other side of the river Po. The place is famous for the basilica itself, the splendid view you can enjoy on Turin and the Alps chain in the background, and its old vintage wooden funicular which climbs a 400 meters in a few minutes. You got it: it’s the route to go if you want to suffer running uphill.
Practicalities:
There are plenty of routes and trails to hike to Superga. The most famous way-up starts from the Sassi station (take the tram and stop at Sassi-Superga), where you can also take the funicular. They are featured on maps (Openstreetmap and Google maps) as “sentiero 28”. Another one, “sentiero 29 starts in Croce, a bit further North from Sassi. Each trail has a different colour mark to follow, but it’s also possible to combine different trails as many converge to the top after a certain point (for example, you can join the trail 29 starting from Sassi via la strada di Superga). If you want to stick to road running, the easiest way is to follow strada di Superga to go up, and to go down on the strada Traforo di Pino, but you will have to take a trail to join this one at some point (sentiero 26 or 27), that’s around a 12-13km loop. Once you reached Superga, you can also continue running further in the natural park of the Superga hill (there’s trail map on the parking slot). It’s also possible to stick to the road if you don’t go to the basilica itself, if you choose to run more South. Finally, you can still pick a route that suits you on running apps and social media: Openrunner, Strava (I don’t use it but I guess so), Alltrails, etc., there are plenty of options to find inspiration or follow ready-made routes.
Why run there:
- It’s challenging (the basilica stands at 672m, it’s about a 450m climb, hard for city runners, easy-peasy for real trailers)
- You can get off the road on hiking trails
- The top view is rewarding!
…and why not:
- If you’re looking for a short or easy recovery run, that’s not the ideal route
- It can be quite far depending where you come from, but easily accessible with public transportation
And in the city streets?
The city centre is beautiful with plenty of monuments to see. The advantage of the architecture inherited from the Romans is that the streets are straight (if you look at a map, it looks like a grid pattern). However, unless you are up for a short touristic run, I would not really recommend it as it’s crowdy, narrow and you’ll have to swerve and stop many times. Also, (I don’t want to make myself enemies but…) the Italian way of driving can be quite dangerous. Don’t trust the red light, car drivers don’t respect it!
Other running spots to consider which I haven’t tried: Parco della Rimembranza (more trail and hill running), parco naturale di Stupinigi (10km South of Turin), parco della Pellerina (if you live in the Northern part), parco la Mandria (if you live even more in the North)…
And you, what are your favourite running routes in Torino?