Summer Encounters at the Rea Botanical Garden

A summer festival in the greenery of Val Sangone

The Summer Encounters at the Rea Botanical Garden is a cultural and nature-focused festival held annually in Trana, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont. The events take place in the San Bernardino district, home to the renowned Rea Botanical Garden, and are organized by the Friends of the Rea Botanical Garden Association with the support of the Municipality of Trana.

This festival weaves a passion for plants with culture. All events are held in the afternoon and are free of charge, offering children's readings, guided tours, botanical conversations, and in-depth sessions that bridge the gap between nature, literature, and tradition. It is a format designed for families and anyone looking to spend a unique afternoon away from the city heat, immersed in nature.

The Rea Botanical Garden

The Rea Botanical Garden is one of the most beloved spots in the region. Founded in 1961 as a nursery for rare plants and later transformed into an experimental botanical garden for the acclimatization of alpine and perennial herbaceous plants, it spans approximately 10,000 square meters at an altitude of 450 meters, at the foot of the Val Sangone, about thirty kilometers from Turin. It is named after the physician and botanist Giovanni Francesco Re, who studied the local flora in the 19th century.

The garden houses about 2,500 species, varieties, and cultivars. Highlights include historic collections of irises and fuchsias, medicinal and aromatic plants, and biotopes that reconstruct Piedmontese natural environments. The garden is also active in biodiversity conservation and pollinator protection projects, themes that often serve as the common thread for the Summer Encounters.

An event for families and curious minds

The festival is particularly well-suited for families with children, thanks to animated readings and workshops, but it also engages an adult audience with talks ranging from botany to literature. Admission to the events is free, and access to the garden is also free for holders of the Abbonamento Musei pass, making the visit even more accessible.

Attending the Summer Encounters means discovering a precious corner of Piedmont, where culture meets nature in an intimate, family-friendly atmosphere. It is an invitation to slow down, listen, and be surprised by the richness of a garden that changes its face with the passing seasons.