Italy Sports And Recreation

Ancient Times. The Romans liked their athletic spectacles fast and violent. Gladiatorial combat originated as part of a funeral custom: gifts to the dead were offered in amphitheaters across the Empire. Examples include a site at Pompeii and, of course, the Roman Colosseum . Romans also hosted venationes (wild beast hunts), and even giant mock naval battles. Greek athletics, like wrestling, running, and javelin throwing, were slower to catch on in the Capital of the Ancient World—perhaps there just wasn’t enough killing.

Soccer. Slightly less violent—and only slightly—today’s calcio (“soccer” to Americans, “football” to everyone else) surpasses all other sports in popularity and competes with politics, fashion, and religion as national pastime (see “ Calcio: An Italian Religion,” previous page). La Squadra Azzurra (The Blue Team) is a source of pride: there are claims that Italy’s 1982 World Cup victory inspired more national unity than any of the country’s political movements. However, Italian calcio fans, or tifosi, are also divided by their undying devotion to local teams. Enthusiasm peaks in June for the Coppa Italia championship. During games between big-city rivals like Naples, Milan, and Rome, don’t be surprised to find hauntingly empty streets and bars stifled with fans either commiserating or celebrating in communal agony or ecstasy. To become one with the mob, catch a game at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico or Milan’s San Siro .

World Cup 2006. Veni, Vidi, Vici: Italy came. Italy saw. Italy conquered. Despite French player Zinedine Zidane’s “head-butt felt ’round the world” in the final match, the Italian national team officially became the world’s best soccer team in 2006. The victory served as Italian football’s saving grace: around the same time as the Cup, Calciopoli, or the Serie A scandal, incriminated Juventus and other teams in Italy’s professional soccer league for fixing match results.

Cycling. Home to both cyclists and cycling aficionados, Italy hosts the annual Giro d’Italia, a 21-stage cross-country race, in May. Second only to the Tour de France, the race was inaugurated in 1909 and has since been interrupted only twice—by the First and Second World Wars. The Giro’s victor receives the maglia rosa, whose pink hue represents the color of paper used by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s top sports newspaper.

Skiing. From December to April, skiers flock to the Italian Alps and Apennines. Head to resorts near Turin , host of the 2006 Winter Olympics, or to the Aosta Valley for summer skiing, helicopter skiing, and a large assortment of other exciting possibilities. Annual World Cup competitions at Italian ski slopes appeal to less adventurous ski fans.