Juventus, a legendary "old lady
Affectionately nicknamed "the old lady" by its fans, Turin's historic team was founded in 1897. A mythical soccer club, "Juve" embodies the very essence of soccer for the people of Turin. Linked to the Agnelli family since 1923, the club in the black and white jersey has won every major trophy that club soccer has to offer. They are also the most popular and successful Italian team, with 36 league titles, 13 Italian Cups and 2 Champions Leagues (in 1985 with Michel Platini at the Heysel stadium, and in 1996 with Didier Deschamps). The Bianconeri's famous shirt has been worn by legendary players such as Dino Zoff, Roberto Baggio, Zinédine Zidane, Pavel Nedved, Alessandro del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Cristiano Ronaldo... However, some Turin residents prefer the city's other, lesser-known team, Torino FC and its garnet-red jersey.
A ski area... Olympic!
A must for all keen skiers, the "Vialactea" Milky Way ski area is the huge Piedmont ski region encircled by the Triplex, Bourget and Genevris mountains. An area of international renown, it was the birthplace of the 2006 Winter Olympics. It includes the Montgenèvre resort in France and the Sauze d'Oulx, Sestrières, Clavière and Cesana resorts in Italy. Sestrières, built by members of the famous Agnelli family (owners of Fiat and Juventus Turin soccer club), is the best-known. It hosted the alpine skiing events for the 2006 Turin Olympics and boasts a plethora of luxury hotels. The resort is renowned for its festive clientele of Europe's golden youth, and for its eccentric "looks": don't be surprised to see skiers in Bermuda shorts and bikinis on the slopes! Further south, just 90 km from Turin, lies the Bardoneccia ski area, in the heart of the Upper Susa Valley. It hosted the snowboarding events at the 2006 Olympic Games, and is renowned for its Olympic half-pipe inside the snowpark, its pleasant forest slopes and its lively evening atmosphere. After all, there are plenty of bars, restaurants and clubs here too... in short, a festive resort!
In summer, the mountains are also in the spotlight
In summer, the ski slopes are transformed into spectacular, easily accessible hiking trails. Trails you can also enjoy on horseback or mountain bike. They are well signposted throughout the region, and pass through breathtaking scenery. On the other hand, the Alpine torrents are attracting an increasing number of extreme sports enthusiasts, including kayaking, rafting and canyoning, and there are numerous associations offering beginners' courses. Climbing also attracts its fair share of enthusiasts in Piedmont.
To the lakes, water sports and golf on the program
Piedmont is also proud to boast two of northern Italy's most famous lakes. Like all these glacial mirrors of water, Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore have been enchanting travellers since the 18thcentury . These dreamy stretches of water are ideal for water sports such as canoeing, kayaking, paddling, windsurfing, sailing, water skiing and wake-boarding. There are also the Canavese, Viverone and Candia lakes. As for Turin, it's always turned towards the river it calls Il Fiume (the river), in a mixture of affection and respect. The city is the kingdom of regatta enthusiasts, and is the birthplace of rowing as a modern Olympic sport. The International Federation of Rowing Societies was founded here in 1892!
Last but not least, almost every province in Piedmont has recently equipped itself with one or more golf courses, the finest and most famous being those in the province of Alessandria, south of the River Po.
