Bocce
bowling
Bocce bowling is as traditional in Italy as it is in France, and
is usually played on Sunday after High Mass in small villages.
Cycling
The Giro d’Italia is an internationally renowned
cycling race through Italy, attracting some of the world’s
top cyclists.
Football
Italy’s most popular spectator sport is football (the national
team won the World Cup in 1934, 1938 and 1982, and hosted the 1990
event, in which they finished third).
Fishing
Fishing is excellent throughout the Sardinian and
Sicilian waters (also renowned for their healthy
lobster population), while the rivers in northern Italy, Umbria
and Tuscany can offer particularly scenic fishing holidays.
For sea fishing, private or chartered boats can
be rented.
Golf
There are first-class golf courses all over Italy, from Lombardy
and Trentino in the north, through Tuscany
and Lazio, down to Calabria and
Sardinia where, owing to the mild climate the golf
season is very long.
Horse riding
The biennial Palio bareback horse race in Siena,
is held on July 2nd and August 16th, and draws thousands of spectators
as this has been a special event since the 14th century.
One of Rome’s most prestigious events is its international
horse show which is held during May. There is also flat
racing during February at the Capanelle track. Each of
the three seasons lasts two months, the second starting in May and
the third in September. Trotting races take place
at the Villa Gloria track in February, June to November.
Motor Racing
Motor-racing is held at the famous Monza autodrome
near Milan (Lombardy).
Skiing
The skiing infrastructure has been
greatly improved in recent years, and the facilities at resorts
in the Italian Alps now rival those in neighbouring
Austria, France and Switzerland.
Ski resorts can be broadly split into four geographical areas:
To the west of Turin, in the Piedmont
region, major resorts include Bardonechia, Sauze d’Oulx
and Sestriere.
Further
north, the Aosta Valley and its
main resorts, such as Cervinia, Courmayeur and
La Thuile, are easily reached from France (via
the Mont Blanc tunnel from Chamonix) or from Switzerland (via the
St Bernard tunnel).
To the east, the region across the Swiss border
is fairly isolated and accessible via long, winding roads which
can be treacherous in bad weather
Driving can be equally difficult in the Dolomites,
still further east, but the beautiful scenery more than makes up
for it, helping to make this one of Italy’s prime skiing destinations;
major resorts include Cortina D’Ampezzo (Italy’s
most upmarket resort), Madonna di Campiglio and
Selva/Sella Ronda.
Skiing is also possible in Central Italy, in resorts
such as Abetone (Tuscany), Campo Imperatore
(Abruzzo), and in several other places in Abruzzo,
down to Mount Etna in Sicily.
Watersports
All types of watersports are available at the major resorts. The
enduring appeal of the Italian Riviera in Liguria
(a 350-km/219-mile stretch from France to Tuscany), or of the Adriatic
and Amalfi coasts, the latter known for its steeply
terraced villages clinging to a rocky coastline, is witnessed by
the ever-growing number of visitors. Less busy are the beaches on
the islands, in Sicily, which has large sandy stretches on the southern
coast, and in Sardinia, much of which is still relatively untouched.
Many of Italy’s best dive sites are located
in Sardinia, and Italy’s first surfing
school is based in Mauro. Diving courses and equipment
hire are also available on the Tremiti Islands
(Puglia) in the Adriatic and along the coasts of Tuscany
and Liguria.
Sailing
Genoa has frequent yachting regattas, as does Santa Margherita Ligura,
where a canoe and small boat regatta is held in July. Sailing is
popular on Italy’s five major lakes near the Alps in the north
– Como, Garda, Iseo, Lugano and Maggiore. |
