The Porta Palazzo market in Torino is known as the largest in Europe. It has its centre in Piazza della Repubblica, which with its 51,300 m² is the largest square in the city. The name derives from the ancient Roman gate, called Palatina o Comitale.
Apart from the space reserved for farmers, the remaining stalls host sellers from all over the world who exhibit all sorts of products, from food and wine to a wild variety of items.
Porta Palazzo for many is associated with the nearby Balon: the latter already in 1698 was a place of bargaining for cattle and agricultural products. It is a particular place, that could resemble the "flea market" in Paris or Portobello in London, where it is possible to find both valuable antique objects and cheap goods.
Balon takes its name perhaps from a valley (Valon and then Balon) that the land formed with a slope towards the Dora, or from a sphaeristerium of the eighteenth century (ball game – Balon).
