Milan’s main
sporting attractions are football and motor racing.
Cycling
Cyclists can stay fit and avoid the traffic and weather using the
covered piste at the Velodromo di Trezzano sul Naviglio, Via Carpaccio
17 (telephone number: 02 4840 9142).
Football
The city has two football squads, Inter
Milan and AC
Milan , which share the Stadio Meazza (more
often known as the San Siro Stadium) Via Piccolomini 5, playing
on alternate Sundays.
A free shuttle from metro Lotto takes fans to the stadium before
matches but not afterwards. The walk back takes around 15 minutes.
Large Milanese banks sponsor both teams – Banco Popolare
di Milano sponsors Inter Milan and Cariplo
sponsors AC Milan.
AC Milan tickets (€16-120) are available for purchased from
branches of the relevant bank, especially the branch at Via Verdi
8 (telephone number: 02 88 661).
For Inter Milan, tickets (€11.85-120) are available from TicketOne
(telephone number: 02 892 424) and, for AC Milan, from their ticket
office, Via Turati 3 (telephone number: 02 6228 5660). The two teams
are usually neck and neck, hotly contesting Serie A and the Coppa
Italia. In the 2002/2003 season, Inter were second and AC Milan
third behind Juventus and AC Milan won both the Italian Cup and
the European Champions League.
Golf
Lombardy’s only public golf course is Le
Rovedine, Via Karl Marx 18, 20090 Noverasco di Opera (telephone
number: 02 5760 6420; fax number: 02 5760 6405), 7km (4miles) from
the centre of Milan. A round during the week costs approximately
€31 and €55 at weekends and holidays.
The following clubs require membership in a golf club at home; fees
are about €45 per round. On the outskirts of the city, southwest
of the centre, Castello
di Tolcinasco has a dedicated Golf and Country Club, Tolcinasco,
200 Pieve Emanuele (tel: 02 9072 2740), offering 36 holes. A round
during the week will cost approximately €50 (€60 at weekends)
and membership is not required. Alternatively, there is an 18-hole
course, Golf
Club Milano (tel: (039) 303 081), at the Parco di Monza near
the autodrome and membership is not required.
Fitness
Centres
Milan’s gyms are more likely to be centri di benessere (wellness
centres) with not only exercise equipment but also relaxation rooms,
hairdressers, tanning beds and nutritionists. Full details of all
leisure centres is available online in Italian at www.milanosport.it
.
Skorpion Club, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 24 (telephone number: 02
781 424) is steps from the Duomo and offers many facilities which
include turkish baths and wonderful views from its 11th floor solarium.
Daily prices start at €40.
Downtown
Palestre, Piazza Cavour 4 (telephone number: 02 760 11485) is
expensive but has an extraordinary range of features. FilaForum
Stadium, Assago Via Vittorio 6 (telephone number: 02 488 571) offers
many facilities besides fitness, including squash courts, a pool
and an ice rink; a shuttle service connects the stadium with Famagosta
metro.
Ice Skating
Ice skating is a popular way for students and young executives to
unwind until late in the night. The rinks stay open until midnight
every day except Monday. Good rinks include Palazzo del Ghiaccio,
Via Piranesi 14 (telephone number: 02 73 981) which opens late Wednesday-Saturday
(ice disco Saturday from 2130 hrs) and PalAgorà, Via dei
Ciolamini 23 (telephone number: 02 4830 0946). During the Christmas
season, a rink is set up in Piazza del Duomo. (See also Fitness
Centres, FilaForum, above).
Motor
Racing
Each year on the second Sunday of September, the racetrack at La
Monza, north of Milan, hosts Formula 1’s Grand Prix.
Trains or buses (723 or 724) from Stazione Centrale serve the stadium,
taking between 30 and 50 minutes. Tickets are available from ACI
Milano (telephone number: 02 774 5400) at the racetrack or direct
from the racetrack (tel: (039) 24821). Tickets for general admission
to the stands start at €50, rising to more than €500 for
reserved seats.
Squash
Squash is much more of a younger Milanese sport than tennis since
it fits in better with the fast lifestyle and it is played indoors,
is over quickly and one does not need annual membership to a club.
Vico Squash, Via GB Vico 38 (telephone number: 02 4801 0890; e-mail:
viavicocity@tiscalinet.it)
has a dozen courts and costs about €8 per session.
Swimming
One of the best of the public swimming centres is Lido di
Milano, Piazzale Lotto 15 (telephone number: 02 392 66100) with
indoor and outdoor pools, water slides and also rollerblading rink
and four tennis courts.
Tennis
Most tennis clubs require membership. The Centre Sportivo Mario
Saini, Via Corelli 136 (telephone number: 02 756 1280) has 12 courts
and it is almost essential to book in advance. There are also four
public courts at Lido di Milano (see Swimming above) and public
courts at FilaForum (see Fitness Centres above) |
