Images from Web

Via Po connects Piazza Castello to Piazza Vittorio Veneto. It is characterized along its entire length by pedestrian arcades on both sides.

Since the Middle Ages, if not even during the Roman period, there was already a road outside the city walls that extended eastward, reaching what was then the only bridge over the river. It was called “via della calce” because, after crossing the bridge over the Po, it reached Gassino and Casale, the main areas supplying building materials to the city of Turin.

Even at that time, the road did not follow the strict parallelism of other streets but was slightly diagonal. The reason was to adapt to the course of the Dora river while maintaining a safe distance due to the frequent floods of the river itself.

With the increasing commercial importance of “via della calce,” (lime road) constructions and buildings also grew. An idea of how the road appeared in the first half of the 17th century is probably represented in the fresco preserved in the Sala della Magnificenza of the Castello del Valentino, where the facade of the church of San Francesco da Paola is followed by other buildings.

The project

The first design for the arrangement of Contrada di Po was promoted by Carlo Emanuele I in 1618, with the approval of Ercole Negro di Sanfront’s project. This project aimed to include “via della calce” within the new city walls.

The project was then relaunched in 1646 with an edict by Maria Cristina of France, which also dictated some urban planning rules for the construction of buildings. The direction of the works was entrusted to Amedeo di Castellamonte.

While remaining faithful to Sanfront’s designs, Amedeo di Castellamonte made some modifications to make the entire system more sumptuous and elegant. The main change was to provide arcades on both sides of the street. Until then, arcades were only planned for squares, so Via Po became the first street with arcades in Turin.

Castellamonte was nevertheless concerned with maintaining certain significant buildings in their current state. For example, he interrupted the arcades to highlight the facades of the churches of San Francesco da Paola and SS Annunziata (whose current porticoed facade would later be built in 1913).

The inauguration of Via Po finally took place in 1674. However, the work remained incomplete for many years. Only in 1720, under the reign of Vittorio Amedeo II, with all the facades and arcades on both sides completed, was the street renamed Via Po.

Characteristics of Via Po

The buildings along the street incorporated ancient structures such as the Studium, now the University of Turin, active since the early 1400s.

About ten years after the street’s opening, the Ospizio della Carità, commissioned by Vittorio Amedeo II, was added with the construction of the Palazzo degli Stemmi.

Later, in the early 1800s, Vittorio Emanuele I had complete coverage added even at the intersections of the streets that cross it. However, this coverage is only on the left side of the street. The purpose was to allow the Duke to reach the river from the Royal Palace comfortably, even in case of rain.

This asymmetry is still remembered by the people of Turin, who commonly refer to the sides of Via Po as the “Portici del Re” or “Portici della pioggia” on one side and the “lato del popolo” or “lato del sole” on the other.

During World War II, intense bombings in 1944 severely damaged mainly the right side of the street.

What to See on Via Po

Being one of the oldest streets in the historic center of Turin, it is obvious that there are many significant buildings.

• Certainly worth mentioning is the historic Caffè Fiorio, a venue for political and intellectual meetings during the 1800s, also famous for producing the most delicious ice cream in the city.

• Also noteworthy is the presence of the Gioielleria Musy Padre e Figli, which is said to be the oldest in Italy.
• Many notable figures have been associated with Via Po and this area of Turin. For example, Erasmus of Rotterdam, as commemorated by a plaque under the arcades, graduated there in 1506, while Nietzsche was a regular at the Caffè Nazionale. The painter De Chirico also drew inspiration from Via Po.

• In the undergrounds of the Fondazione Accorsi (Museum of Decorative Arts), the remains of an ancient church dedicated to Sant’Antonio Abate, which no longer exists today, are still present. However, the crypt is still perfectly preserved. It is located exactly under the foundation’s ticket office, which at the time was the sacristy. The columns that gave access to the church are still in plain view: they can be seen in the arcade at Via Po 57.
• For those visiting during the Christmas period, do not miss the Mechanical Nativity Scene at the Church of Santissima Annunziata. The nativity scene was created by Francesco Canonica in 1910. It consists of about 200 figures specially carved by artisans from Val Gardena. About half of them are animated by a single electric motor. A single cow, however, is equipped with movement thanks to a clockwork mechanism. In recent years, LED lighting has been added for a day-night effect.