The industrial vocation and the image of a city that is dedicated to work and technological innovation, has given a wrong impression of Turin: pushed into the background is the important fact of its peculiar geographical position framed by the Alpine peaks and the hills, its great wealth of parks and gardens, not to mention the unique attribute of the four separate rivers that cross the city - the Po, The Dora, the Stura and the Sangone - an environmental heritage that few cities in the world can boast.

The industrial and urban development of the post-war period has tended to turn the Turin people away from the enjoyment of the rivers, once commercial water ways that were also the source of endless pleasure to many Sunday boaters and swimmers: "The seaside for those without the sea", as was said in the Thirties. The tradition has to some extent revived in recent years: there are many more joggers, cyclist and fishermen that can be seen along the banks of the Po, as well as Turin people and tourists who simply want to take a " spasgiada" (dialect for stroll) along the banks.

The continuity with the past is marked by the energetic oarsmen who are member of Turin's historic rowing clubs, the Esperia, Armida, Caprera and Cerea, which are some of the oldest in Europe, and whose crews still train every day on the Po.

From the Murazzi, the imposing enbankment built in the Napoleonic era, it is possible to take the River Ferry up to Moncalieri, past Valentino Park and the green hills that are reflected in the water from the river's right bank. No visitor to Turin should miss a pleasant stroll through the tree-lined avenues of the Valentino where one can admire the 17th-century Castle, with its splendid terracotta façade,and the gardens and greenhouses of the Botanical Gardens, which have a very great variety of herbaceous plants. A little further on is the Borgo Medievale (Rocca Medieval Castle and Village), an impeccable reproduction of a 15th century medieval castle that was built for the Great Exhibition in 1884, and now houses a number of antique shops and craftsmen's workshops.

The old river landing stages, that have been transformed into cafés and restaurants, offer the opportunity for a snack - a "merenda sinòira" - a typical light Piedmontese meal between 5 and 7 o'clock p.m., or dinner that is enhanced by the play of light on the surface of the water, adding a peculiarly evocative charm.

Continuing on foot, over the Isabella bridge, it is possible to reach Europa Park, the losest of the hillside parks (the others are Villa Genero and Parco della Maddalena), for a stroll among ancient trees that provide an exquisitely changing spectacle in every season of the year. Finally, why not copy the young Rousseau and carry on up as far as the Monte dei Cappuccini hill from where the Geneva-born philosopher admired what he called "the most beautiful panoramic view in the world" ?.