A motto that accompanied Turin and the inhabitants of Turin during the 2006 Winter Olympics was: “Always on the move”. The city has not lost this facet, in fact it has been strongly renewed thanks to the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) having allocated for the ATP Finals.
Hence Turin has beaten off the competition from London and Tokyo and from 2021 to 2025 it will host the finals of the tennis season – the ATP Finals at the Palalpitour. A series of challenges amongst the first ten tennis players in the official ATP rankings: Djokovic, Nadal and Federer will arrive in Turin to compete for the title of number 1 ranked player in the world.
The history of Turin has always been linked to sports events. Cycling, tennis, athletics and rowing dominate the days of the inhabitants of Turin. Turin is the city where Juventus was founded in 1897 and the Torino FC in 1906. Two rival teams that compete in the city derby.
The climax of this relationship between sport and city was influenced by the 2006 Winter Olympics. For this world leading event, Turin changed its presence. The Olympics were a true sea change that led the city into building new structures and buildings dedicated to sport. One of these was the Palalpitour where the ATP Finals will be held.
Be careful because the Pala Alpitour is one of those structures that may also be called by other names. One of the most common is PalaIsozaki namely taking its name from the architect who designed this enormous and shimmering parallel piped stadium.
The Pala Alpitour is located in the Santa Rita quarter about 10 minutes by Vespa from the historic centre. It is easy to reach because the “Grande Torino” Olympics Stadium is also in this and it is where the major tree-lined avenues in the city converge: Corso Giovanni Agnelli, Corso Re Umberto, Corso Galileo Ferraris and Corso Unione Sovietica.
When I arrive by Vespa near to the Pala Alpitour where can I park? Good question. As we have said the Santa Rita quarter is mainly residential hence, finding a parking space for a car is difficult. It is easier to find parking reserved for vehicles on two wheels as these do exist in this area even if there are not too many.
Having parked your Vespa near to the Pala Alpitour you can walk through a green area called “Piazza d’Armi”, one of the city’s parks that was completely renovated on the occasion of the 2006 Olympics. In addition, near to the Palalpitour is one of the most famous sports arenas in Turin: the Olympic Stadium. For a couple of years now this structure has been named after the Grande Torino, the legendary football team who died in the Superga tragedy of 1949. In fact, in this stadium the home teams of Turin play their matches.
If you are sporty or simply a sports lover, discover Turin on your Vespa! The Capital of Savoy as well as the Sports Capital will regale you with unforgettable shows such as the last shot from the racket in a game between Federer and Djokovic!
