I love old spaces being renovated into gardens! What a great way to reenergize a dilapidated space and create something new and better for the community and the environment. Much like New York's gorgeous High Line garden, Turin turned an old FIAT test track into the largest rooftop garden in all of Europe. Today, La Pista 500 is one of the best tourist attractions in Turin.
The History of Turin's Lingotto Building
You may know that Turin is one of the largest cities in Italy by population. It is currently fourth, just behind Naples, then Milan and Rome at the top. Turin became so large in population, in part, due to the booming automobile industry and work opportunities there. FIAT was founded in Turin in 1899, and the Lingotto factory fabricated cars for the better part of the 20th century. This made Turin not only the Automobile City of Italy, but also one of the automobile hubs of Europe. The Lingotto building featured five floors, a circular ramp, and a rooftop test track called La Pista 500 with excellent views of the city and the Alps.
The factory finally closed in the 1980s after FIAT moved fabrication to a bigger facility in the 70s. The city held an architecture competition, which renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano won with his vision of a public complex.
What's in the Lingotto Building Now?
Today, the Lingotto building houses a massive commercial center with restaurants, shops, a movie theater and arcade, a concert hall, a convention center, a hotel, administration spaces for the Polytechnic University of Turin, and a museum of the history of the space and the FIAT company.
Wow, that was a lot of things. The point is that the space is awesome. We walked around for hours, got some gelato, did some window shopping and people watching, and had a good time. This old factory was one of the busiest spaces we visited in Turin. It was full of people - students, tourists, shop employees, and office workers from any of the rented-out commercial spaces. I loved that they left the structure of the building the same, so you can see the history even as you shop. In addition to the rooftop garden, the first floor had massive trees and plants everywhere, which I obviously loved. This outdoor courtyard is only on the first floor and has tons of benches and seating for people to eat lunch outside.
Inside the FIAT Museum
A visit to the Lingotto building isn't complete without a trip to the roof. There are actually three separate spaces in the FIAT museum, and you can buy differently priced tickets for access to just the garden or both the garden and the musuems. The three spaces are the rooftop garden (La Pista 500), the museum of the Fiat 500 (Casa 500), and a rotating art exhibition both indoors and along the garden walk (Pinacoteca Agnelli). We chose only garden access but got a peek at the museum anyway since garden access is through the museum's cafe and store.
Once you get outside, you get a spectacular view of the Alps, a bit of Turin, and some of the unique installations that are part of the art exhibition. The Lingotto building does offer one of the best views of Turin, so I think it's well worth the ticket for the view alone.
Turin's Stunning Rooftop Garden
The view may be worth the ticket price, but don't count out the rest of the garden. There are over 40,000 plants up here! So many different colors and textures and heights.
The test track today serves as a walking path for people to get around the garden. Aside from that, every possible space is filled to the brim with plants. The gardens have taken over, and I love that mix of man-made structures with overflowing nature. I like that they were able to convert most of the empty spaces here into garden beds while retaining the look and function of the test track. It makes for a very useful space since the art exhibitions sometimes include film showings and other large installations.
There was also a lot of graffiti on the sides of the test track, up the ramp. We weren't allowed to climb the ramp (it's actually quite steep), so I couldn't get close up pictures. But I think it was a mix of political and cultural commentary, and mostly I just liked the aesthetic.
Is the Lingotto building worth a visit?
The Lingotto building is definitely worth the trip for any tourist in Turin. There's tons to see and do, plenty of restaurants and attractions. For me, though, I would visit for the garden alone. I think it all comes together wonderfully, the art installations, the graffiti, the plants, and the views. Our visit here was one of my favorite parts of Turin, so I recommend it.